Revealing Secrets
by rockrchik
Summary: COMPLETE!Kurama never expected such a surprise, but little did he know that meeting his long lost younger sister would only be the first of many. Now the Reikai Tantei, and Kurama's sister, are dragged into the turmoil of Makai politics and a torn family
1. Prologue

Shiori walks down the smooth sidewalk and over to the mailbox. She opens the door and grabs the envelopes and PennySaver. As she walks back up the driveway and into the house, she begins to randomly flip through the day's mail. "Bill, bill, junk mail, book club notice, college letter for Shuichi, junk mail, another college letter, oh!" she mumbles as she reads the return address on each envelope. She stops in surprise as she reaches a small white envelope. She quickly walks into the kitchen and places the rest of the mail on the counter as she shakily brings the mysteriously familiar envelope closer to her. Her name is scrawled across the personal envelope in black ink, just like always. The writing, however, is nowhere near the way she remembered it; sloppily and hastily written instead of the ever familiar delicate handwriting. With a convulsing hand, she gently traces the lettering of her name, the only writing on the envelope. She turns it over and slips her right index finger under the flap, about to break the adhesive seal, when the door swings open.

"Mother, I'm home!" calls out a young masculine voice. "In the kitchen, dear," Shiori replies as she shoves the anonymous letter into one of her pants's pocket, "You have more mail from some universities." "More?" a teenage boy with long red hair and shining emerald green eyes asks, sounding slightly exasperated with the sudden influx of what could be considered junk mail for him. He looks at the couple envelops his mother hands to him and quickly tosses them in the recycle bin with a sigh, "Will they ever stop coming?"

Shuichi grabs an apple out of the fruit bowl and a glass of water as an after-school snack. A couple minutes of silence ensue as Shiori looks through the rest of the mail and Shuichi eats his snack. "How was your day, dear?" Shiori asks after reading her book club's monthly newsletter, truly interested in her son's life. "As expected. I passed both of my tests today and all of my classes went by smoothly," Shuichi replies with a soft smile as he throws away the apple core and places his empty water glass in the sink - he would wash it later.

"Mother, I wish to visit with some of my friends today, but, in doing so, I will be out rather late. Please, may I have your permission to go?" Shuichi asks very politely. "Well, of course, Shuichi. I am just glad that you have such good friends. For a while, when you were little, your lack of friends worried me," Shiori replies with a slightly troubled face as she thought upon her and her son's past and she subconsciously traced the scars on her lower arms caused by the china that had fallen to the floor. "Mother, promise me something, please." "What is it, dear?" Shiori asks. "Get some rest, please. You look overwhelmed," Shuichi says as he walks up to his mother. "Oh, Shuichi. It's nothing, dear. Don't worry about it. Just have fun with your friends." "But, Mother, I will worry unless you promise me to get some rest. You promised stepfather that you would take care of yourself," Shuichi argues. "Well, all right. I promise I will rest, Shuichi-dear. Now, go have fun with your friends." "Thank you, Mother," Shuichi calls as he heads towards the front door.

Shiori watches as her son's red head bobs around the corner and out of sight before she pulls the envelope back out of her pocket. _I doubt there will be any more interruptions, but, just in case..._ Shiori walks into her bedroom and shuts and locks the door. She sits down on her full sized bed and stares at the nondescript envelope in her hands. _I haven't gotten a letter from him in years..._ Shiori realizes as she shakes herself from her complete focus on the quill scratches that made up her name. _It's now or never!_ she decides. And with that, Shiori flips over the envelope, breaks the seal, and pulls out a piece of familiar yet strange feeling paper folded in half. Her breathing stops as she unfolds the paper to reveal a short, simple, and devastating letter. "No," Shiori whispers as she reads the letter over and over again. She holds onto the edges of the paper harder and harder each time she reads through the letter, her nails ripping through the parchment. Tears fill her eyes and overflow, staining the paper and blotching out letters or words. "No."


	2. Confusion

Okay, I'm so bad at this. I want to try adding another chappy because they're pretty short. I'm working on another fanfic (this one's Harry Potter), and so far it seems the chapters will be longer. Anyway, like I said in the last chapter, tell me what you think, so I'll know if you like it.

Chapter 1: Confusion

Shuichi,

I am going on a trip, but do not worry. I will be home tomorrow. Here is some money, in case of an emergency, and there is food in the refrigerator.

Love, Your Mother

Shuichi sets the note back down on the counter and looks to the right of it. He sees a twenty being held in place by the flour jar and he picks it up. _I'll just put this back in mother's room. I won't be needing or using it._ Shuichi concludes as he picks up the bill and walks up the stairs. _Where could Mother have gone? She never just leaves so suddenly. In fact, she usually complains about having to leave me alone and gives me a week's notice, minimum. Now she leaves as if on a whim?_ He steps into his mother's room and places the money on her dresser top. He looks around the room and sees picture frames everywhere. As he looks at the pictures, he gains a sense of nostalgia as well as remorse for how he used to act in his past, before the accident. He leans his head down, blinking and trying to stop the memories and tears from coming. His eyes become clear again and he notices a piece of white sticking out from under the dresser. Figuring it to be a piece of trash, Shuichi picks it up to throw it away, but soon realizes that the folded piece of paper in his hands is a letter to his mother. What surprises him even more is that the paper seems to feel like Makai parchment._ What is this? Why would mother have this type of paper?_ His curiosity gaining the best of him, Shuichi unfolds the letter and carefully reads:

Shiori,

As unwanted as our request may be to you and to us, it must be made. Daemon was murdered last week, although it is unknown by who. His death has left Sakura without a guardian, for no one here can raise her. She cannot stay here, for her father's assets are being divided among his competitors and enemies. Therefore, we are left with two options for Sakura: leaving her in the streets, or giving her over to you. Your answer is expected immediately upon receiving this letter.

Ryu

Shuichi could see the crumpled edges of the letter where his mother had held on too tightly. Tear stains and blurred letters show where his mother's tears had fallen. Shuichi carefully folds the letter and sets it on the dresser. _Who is this Sakura? Why does Mother have to take her in and no one else can? Who is Daemon? Why was he murdered? What does that letter mean? Is that were my mother is? _Questions swirl around in his head, but, unlike usual, no answers follow. The normally understanding and knowledgeable kitsune was lost in confusion, and he did not like the feeling of it one bit.


	3. Ryu and Considerations

Gomennasai minna-san! I couldn't update until now because I was grounded from the computer and then I left my story at my dad's when I was at my mom's for a week after being done grounded. Oh, by the way...if you notice any mistakes, onegai, tell me because I don't always know the correct spelling for something or I'll skip a comma or a period or whatever. Arigatou to my four reviewers! That's right, four! And that was the day after I put my story up! I am especially sorry to you guys because you all asked for more and I wanted so bad to update, but I couldn't! Because of that I will give a lot of chappies! Oh, by the way...Shuichi (the little one), stepbrother or half-brother?I wasn't sure, so in my story (unless someone tells me the correct relation) little Shuichi will be Kurama's stepbrother.

Chapter 2: Ryu and Considerations

Shiori sits on a suitcase, waiting for her guide. She knew Ryu would be waiting for her, just like he always had before. As expected, the tall man with navy blue long hair and matching eyes soon steps in front of her. "Ryu," she greets the man in front of her with a slight nod. "Shiori," he replies curtly. Shiori stands up and reaches for her suitcase, only to have it picked up by Ryu. She is about to say something when she notices her guide is no longer next to her. She quickly paces after him, doing her best to keep up with the man as he walks into a dark empty alley. _Here goes._ Shiori thinks as she steps out of the bright sunlight and into the dark shadows.

"Hey, Kurama! What's wrong?" a boy with slicked back black hair and brown eyes asks his red-headed, green-eyed friend. "You look like Kuwabara when he's doing his science homework," he adds. "Hey!" a boy with orange hair and black, beady eyes replies, "I take that as an insult!" "That's how it was supposed to be taken ya idiot!" the boy with black hair responds. Throughout the argument, Kurama had sat there, staring into space with a confused and troubled look on his face. "Uh, Kurama?" the black haired kid asks, waving his hands in front of his friend's spaced face. "Yes, Yusuke?" Kurama finally asks, snapping out of his thoughtful trance. Yusuke sweat drops at his friend's polite reply. "I asked you what's wrong, like, five minutes ago," Yusuke replies. "Oh, did you? I did not hear you," Kurama states. "Well?" Yusuke asks. "Hm?" Kurama responds, barely able to pay attention. "What's up?" Yusuke asks, "Something's wrong, so what is it?" "It's nothing to worry about," Kurama kindly replies. "Kurama, if you don't tell us what's up, we'll have to get Hiei to read your mind for us," Yusuke threatens. "Hn. I'd do no such thing," a boy with gravity defying black and midnight blue hair with a white sunburst in the middle and crimson red eyes says as he jumps in through an open window. "Yo, Shorty!" the kid with orange hair shouts. "Kuwabara, I doubt that is smart," Kurama advises. "Think about who you're talking to," Yusuke reminds Kurama. "Hey! What's that s'posed to mean?" Kuwabara shouts after a moment's thought. "Shut your mouth, baka, before your stupidity spreads. One idiot is more than enough," Hiei insults. Kuwabara just sits there sulking, unable to think up a comeback.

"What's wrong with the fox?" Hiei asks upon seeing Kurama's spaced out look. "We don't know. He won't tell us!" whines Yusuke. The others watch their friend as he sits unmoving and unblinking, his eyes glazed over in deep thought. Finally tired of waiting for his friend to snap out of it, an annoyed Hiei grabs Kurama's shoulders and shakes him with all his might. "Snap out of it, fox!" the short fire demon roars, pulling his red-headed friend back to reality. Hiei then releases his friend and goes to lean against the wall as if nothing had happened. "Kurama, are you gonna tell us what's wrong, or what?" Yusuke questions. "We can all see something is wrong. You're never spaced out." "The Detective's right for once," Hiei states emotionlessly from the wall he is leaning against. "My mother went on a trip for a day, that's all," Kurama says, doing his best to sound sheepish. "That can't be all," Yusuke argues, "You're a really bad actor." "Yeah! Plus, your mom takes trips pretty often now," Kuwabara adds. "Yes, but she usually tells me ahead of time. All she did this time was leave a rushed note," Kurama counters. "Plus, there was the letter..." he adds, but tapers off as he remembers what the letter and his mother's disappearance hinted at. "What letter?" Yusuke asks. "Nothing. Forget I said anything," Kurama says as he waves it off. "Hn. Answer the question, fox," Hiei commands, his curiosity now piqued. Kurama sighs before he begins, "I found it in my mother's room on the floor. My curiosity got the better of me and I read it." "What did it say?" Kuwabara asks, finally able to comprehend part of the situation. "Someone named Ryu wrote it. He asked my mother to take in this girl named Sakura because her father died and no one else can raise her," Kurama states, finally giving in to everyone's questions. "Oh," Yusuke replies. "What? What's wrong with that?" Kuwabara asks, unable to grasp the meaning of the letter. "It means Sakura will be moving in and we'll have to be more careful about not letting our secrets slip, idiot," Yusuke grumbles, annoyed with his friend's stupidity. "What secrets?" Kuwabara asks lamely and everyone sweat drops. Well, everyone except for Hiei who is leaning against the wall, fuming in annoyance. "Spirit World secrets, baka," he replies curtly, hoping to shut the idiot up. "Oh, those secrets," Kuwabara states in sudden realization. "Wait! That means we can't meet at Kurama's house anymore to discuss missions! Cuz she might find out!" he then shouts in panic. "That's what I just said," Yusuke replies with a very large sweat drop. The room goes silent as everyone considers the problems that would arise with Sakura moving in.

_Shit!_ Hiei thinks. _I can't sneak in on rainy nights anymore. So much for staying dry._ Kuwabara's mind remains empty, as always, and Yusuke wonders if they would be able to safely meet in his house or if they would have to change their meeting place to Kuwabara's house. Shizuru already knew their secrets, so it would probably be the safest place. _Damn! I don't want to have to go to that idiot's house, but it has to be done._ he whines. _What will Sakura be like? I don't even know how old she is. I hope she's not two or anything..._ Kurama decides, shuddering unnoticeably at a toddler in the house. He hated how little kids always seemed to want to pull on his beloved hair. He subconsciously started petting some of it with a troubled look on his face. Some scars just never heal. Now Kurama was almost finished with school and would take ownership of the house when his mother moved to Kyoto to join her husband and son - his stepfather and stepbrother. Kurama had been excited at the thought of his impending freedom, although sad that it meant his mother would be leaving Tokyo. He did not know what to expect now that Sakura would be living there. A sudden thought hit him that scared him more than if she was a toddler. _Please don't let her join my 'fanclub'!_

There we go, this one's longer than my other two chapters. Of course, this chappy is two chappies really. The first chappy (the one with Shiori in it) was just too short to put by itself, though, so I put the second one in with it! Ja mata!


	4. Sakura

Chapter 3: Sakura

The forest is nothing as Shiori remembers it. While it was once alive with vibrant colors and fearless, yet kind, wild animals and their chatter, it is now dull and a gray tinge seems to cling to everything, like tobacco smoke that settles in your clothes, hair, and skin. A dark aura of sadness and depression weaves its way though the barren trees like the thick, low-lying marine layer of the ocean and the shoreline early in the mornings. A shiver tingles down her spine and she unconsciously steps closer to Ryu. "It's been like this ever since he died," the tall guide informs as the sprawling traditional Japanese style house comes into view. The same cloud of depression hangs around the main house, turning the once bright walls into either a dingy gray or a murky brown. The walk up the many stairs is tiring to Shiori, who has not climbed them for a long time - over fifteen years ago. "Wait here. I will get the girl, and a maid will take your stuff to your room. I'm sure you remember your way around?" "Yes, Ryu. I remember." And with that, he leaves Shiori in the front room. Not a minute later, a maid enters the room. She has violet hair, pink eyes, and dark purple fox ears and tail tipped with magenta. Shiori stares at the woman, shocked. "Yumi?" she asks. "Yes, ma'am. Welcome back to the makai," the kitsune replies. "If only it were under better circumstances, my old kitsune friend," Shiori says with a sad smile. "Yes, of course," Yumi replies with an equally sad expression.

"Let me show you to your room, ma'am-" "Yumi, how many times must I tell you? Please, it is Shiori," she laughs, "We are old friends." "Yes, ma'am...Shiori," the kitsune maid replies, teasing her good friend. And with that, Shiori is taken to her room. Sheets are thrown over the furniture, keeping the dust off of the old pieces of wood. "It has not been used since you left," Yumi states. Shiori takes it as the truth after running her finger along the uncovered mantle over the large fireplace in the room and seeing the dust trail left behind. "Your room will be cleaned for you while you meet with Miss Sakura. Now, if you please come with me," Yumi states as she walks out of the door, "I will take you back to the front room, where Ryu has, hopefully, gotten the child to leave her room. Poor thing. She was silent before her father died. Now she doesn't even look us in the eye." "Why?" Shiori asks, concern crossing her features. "Excuse me?" "Why is she so quiet? What's wrong with her?" Shiori clarifies herself. "She is a hanyou," Yumi replies, as if that explained everything. Shiori just stayed silent and was left to her thoughts.

When the duo returned to the front room, Ryu was back, but in his demon form. Two crystalline blue neko ears and three tails are the only difference to his appearance. He is accompanied by a dark shadow leaning against the wall. Shiori watched the shadow with curiosity, and her eyes picked up the faint traces of a short teenage girl. "Sakura, come out of the shadows," Ryu sighs and motions to the shadow. The girl steps into the dim light from the gray world outside and Shiori gets the first sight of Sakura since she was an infant. She was short, as Shiori guessed, probably only about five feet tall. She had pale skin, silky black hair that hung down to her waist in waves, slightly rosy cheeks, a small, finely chiseled nose, and pink lips. She also had black neko ears and a tail tipped with silver, and slate gray eyes. The thing that shocks Shiori is that her eyes are pupil-less. "Oh, Miss Sakura. It is so good to see you out of your room!" Yumi shouts, her bubbly nature contagious as Shiori begins to smile. Sakura stands there with an expressionless face, her arms folded in front of her, her eyes trained on Shiori. She is wearing a silver-trimmed, black silk, ankle-length, sleeveless qipao that has a slit up to her mid-thigh. "Who is she?" the dark neko asks, her eyes never leaving the human in front of her. Ryu looked at Sakura and followed her gaze to Shiori. "Ah, yes. You were too young to remember..." he begins. "Remember what?" Sakura snaps, turning a heated glare at the tall man. "Sakura, this is Shiori." The young neko snaps her gaze to the human, her glare softening into slight shock before morphing, once again, into a hard glare, this time at Shiori. "You brought her here! Why?" Her voice was harsh and demanding. "You know why, Sakura," Ryu responds sternly. "I don't need a guardian. I'm trained well enough." "You are too young to survive alone in the makai." "Dammit, I am not going with some weak ningen!" she screams, hate filling every crevice of your glaring eyes, clenched jaw, and grinding teeth. Shiori watches Sakura in shock. "Sakura, you will be going with her," Ryu begins, a calm anger lacing its way through each and every word. Shiori blanched at the knowledge of what he could do when angry. "Your empty threats don't scare me, Ryu," the dark neko replies in a similarly lethal voice. "No empty threats, Sakura, just orders. You will be going to live in the ningenkai with your m-" "I will not be going to ningenkai, and don't you dare call her that!" she screams, letting her defenses sink for the moment. "I call her what she is," Ryu replies nastily, "Yumi, please make sure Shiori's room is prepared for her night's stay." With that the kitsune maid takes her leave of the front room, physically shaking from the tension that had been in the room and the anger that had been in the two hot-headed youkais' auras. "I will leave you two to become reacquainted," Ryu states in a much calmer voice and follows Yumi out of the room.

The two people, hanyou and human, stand there staring at one another. "The last time I saw you, I was holding you in my arms," Shiori whispers, breaking her gaze from the neko in front of her and looking off to the side. The teenaged youkai does not reply. Silence again ensues as pupil-less eyes study the despised being in front of her. "Go home." Shiori looks up at Sakura. "Excuse me?" "I said go home. Leave. I'm sure your son misses you. At least he doesn't have the humiliation of being an abandoned half-breed. However traitorous he is, his bloodline is at least feared, if not respected," Sakura orders, "Just go home." "Sakura, I-" "Do you expect me to listen to you? Really, you should be thankful I haven't killed you yet. Humans are not welcome in our world, so why don't you leave before you have an...accident," the shadow neko threatens as she pulls out a sai and carefully fingers the sharp middle prong. Shiori stares at the weapon wide-eyed, but finally gets the courage to tear her eyes from the gleaming weapon and replace them on the gleaming, girl's pupil-less eyes "You hate me," Shiori states sadly. "Of course I hate you. You had your fun then left. You never thought how much Father would suffer, did you? You never considered the torture I would have to endure. It's not as if I could hide my heritage, Mother," Sakura replies with such venom and sarcasm that Shiori had to take a step back. She felt as though she had been slapped by her daughter's blatant disrespect. Then, without another word to her, Sakura turns around and leaves the room, leaving a shocked Shiori alone.

Ohmigod! Shiori is Sakura's mother! She knows about youkai and the three worlds! How could this be!


	5. Understanding

Chapter 4: Understanding

Shiori sighed for what seemed to her the thousandth time as she leaned against an unfamiliar wall, finally admitting to herself that she was utterly and hopelessly lost. _Daemon, why did you have to make this place so large? Even when I was living here, I got lost in these hallways at least twice a week!_ Shiori thinks as she looks down the long, winding, and deeply foreboding corridors. A hand appears out of nowhere and is placed on her shoulder. "Aaahhh!" Shiori screams as she jumps. "You should not be in this area, Shiori," Ryu's voice comes from behind her. "Oh, Ryu. You scared me," Shiori says breathlessly as she pats her chest, trying to calm her speeding heart rate. "I got lost," she reveals to Ryu, "I was trying to get back to my room." Ryu sweatdrops at the familiarity of this scene - he had been sent many a time to find and return Shiori - not to mention that Shiori's room was three doors down from the front room where he had left her with Sakura. Speaking of the little shadow neko: "Shiori, I assume you did not get too far in your conversation with Sakura." "No, I-I didn't. She seems to really hate me," Shiori replies, hanging her head in defeat as she followed Ryu who was being kind enough to lead her back to her room. "Well, she has some issues to work out, but she also has some right to feel some form of anger to you," Ryu says coldly. "I-I didn't want to leave her, but I couldn't bring my son here; he would have been slaughtered. My life was in danger as well; as was Daemon's power, respect, and dignity," Shiori argues. "It might make sense to you, but, to her, it just reinforces her state of mind and what most demons have always told her," Ryu responds. "And what is that? Please, Ryu. I feel as if everyone has to be walking on eggshells around her. Yumi said earlier that she acts that way because she is a hanyou. Why does that matter?" Shiori asks. Ryu stops and turns around, noticing that Shiori truly did not understand Sakura's predicament. "Hanyous are loathed in Makai. Even more so than humans, because they represent a union between the two. You know of Hiei, the Forbidden Child, yes?" Ryu begins. Shiori nods, "He is a friend of my sons. Fire and ice, if I have not forgotten." "Yes. Well, let us just say that demons would be more willing to welcome him into their homes than to even see Sakura on the street. And he is an assassin and a thief," Ryu finishes. Shiori gasps in realization as tears fill her eyes. "My poor baby," she whispers. "I will talk with her. She will be packed and ready to go tomorrow, so sleep now," Ryu states as he walks down the hallway and stops in front of Shiori's room. "Thank you, Ryu, so much," Shiori says quietly as she stands in front of her door, reflecting on her recent gain in knowledge and understanding. "My poor baby."


	6. Moonlight Promises

Chapter 5: Moonlight Promises

Her pale hand reaches through the beans of soft moonlight to caress his cheek. "Please, Ryu. Don't make me go." Her voice is soft and light, like a feather flowing on the breeze. Ryu takes her hand and puts it in his lap, meticulously studying each small finger as he contemplates his answer. He sighs once before looking her in the eyes with an apologetic look. "You must go. It's for the best." She pulls her hand from his as if it was scalding, "How can it be for the best to have to live with those you loath?" "Please, understand where I am coming from. It is safest for you to go to the ningenkai. At least until we find who murdered your father." "I've been trained well. You and father made sure of that. Why can't I stay with you? We can avenge father together. I cannot understand why you would force me to leave your side and live with her. I need you, Ryu; don't make me leave." Each pained sentence and each blink to hold back the tears stabs him like a knife. "I hate doing this to you, but I must. I promise, it is only until things settle down here. With your father dead, you are in a lot of danger. His competitors-" "I know what his competitors might do. Ryu, we're going to do it anyway. Take me as your mate; this way no one else can try and take me," the young girl pleads, hope shining in her dull orbs. "You are too young as of yet." "Many girls mate before sixteen," she argues back. "Your hanyou blood changes the aging process. You mature a bit slower than your youkai peers." "Great, another reason to hate her." "Just give it one more year, Sakura. I promise. Whether your father's murder is settled or not, I will come and get you in one year. Until then, please, do this for me; for us," Ryu pleads as he takes her hand between his two and kisses her fingers. Sakura falters as she looks up into the honest face of her love. "Ryu-" "Sakura, please. One year. That's all I ask," he begs. She takes a deep breath and gives a disgusted look at the shadow to her left before turning back to the blue neko in front of her; "Fine, Ryu, I will go." "Thank you, Sakura. I feel better knowing you will be safe." Ryu's outburst is met with a unaffectionate 'whatever.' He kisses her forehead and begins to stand up. "Stay with me," the young hanyou begs. "Hm?" "I won't see you for a year. Stay with me; at least until I fall asleep," she begs, holding onto his hand. He gives her a soft smile before climbing into the covers with her and pulling his hanyou up against his chest. "Sleep, Sakura. I will be here in the morning."

Ryu watches as the young hanyou neko falls asleep. When he is assured that it is deep enough he pulls the cover down to reveal her left arm. "You will hate me for this, Sakura, but it must be done," he tells her sleeping form as he places his hand over her left biceps and a warm blue light begins to glow in a concentrated area between her arm and his hand. Slowly, the girl's demonic features fade away and she is left with clawless hands and human ears. Her tail has disappeared and, although unable to tell, he is sure her eyes now have pupils. He pulls his hand away to reveal a dark kanji mark. He traces the glyph once, assuring himself of his success before pulling the covers back up over Sakura and walking out of the room; he would stay on guard all night for he now had two women to protect: his masters love and his.


	7. Welcome to Hell

Chapter 6: Welcome to Hell

The sun shone harshly through the dingy windows as Shiori awoke from her deep slumber. She could already hear the few noble servants that had stayed preparing for the coming day and her and her daughter's departure. _I never understood Sakura's plight. If I had known, I would have done something for her. I would have kept in touch._ she rationalizes, hoping that she could make up for her absence in the coming months. A sharp knock on her door resonates through her thoughts and she rises from her bed. "Who is it?" "Shiori, it is I, Yumi. I have come to help you prepare for your return trip," came the kitsune's chipper voice. "Oh, it is unnecessary, Yumi. I will be ready in fifteen minutes. Let me dress and I will be right out," she replies through the door as she pulls out a pair of loose jeans and an oversized sweater. "Of course," comes her friend's reply and Yumi's footsteps echo down the hall.

"I dare not wake her, Master Ryu. Not with what has happened," a maid says to the tall neko. "I will wake her. You are right, she would probably hurt you for being near her when she is in such a vulnerable position." With that, the neko youkai walks through the door the maid had been glancing at with fear throughout their conversation. "Sakura, time to get up. The sun has already risen; what would your father say?" Ryu states in a calm demeanor as he taps the sleeping girl on the shoulder. Sakura grunts in disagreement and rolls onto her other side. "Sakura, if you do not arise this instant I will be forced to carry your vulnerable sleeping form into the presence of your mother." That did the trick. Sakura jumps out of bed and looks up at Ryu with wide eyes. "You wouldn't, would you?" Ryu only smirks before grabbing her suitcase, which had been packed by a maid in preparation for her departure, and walks out the door. "Fine then, be that way," she says as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. She hmphs and turns her head to the side.

A loud scream echoes through the hallways and anyone in the house flinches at the pitch. Ryu walks into the room the cry of disbelief originated from to see Sakura scrubbing away at the kanji mark on her arm. "It's not ink, it's youki.. It cannot be removed until I choose to do so," he informs the very human-looking hanyou standing in front of him. She looked pretty with or without her demonic features, but something about the vulnerability of her predicament seemed to attract the neko even more. "Why did you do this? I can't sense anything. I am pretty much a worthless, weak, pathetic ningen. Jesus, Ryu! I'm like her," the girl shouts. "I had to do it. This way your secret won't be blown. We cannot have Youko Kurama or Hiei sensing your youki or seeing your demonic features. You must be seen and known only as ningen; it is for your mother's protection and yours." He watches bemusedly as the girl flinches every time her mother is mentioned; _What will you do when you get to the ningenkai, Sakura? Call her Mrs. Shiori? _he ponders as the young girl gives up trying to remove the kanji symbol on her arm and begins applying lotion to the tender and inflamed skin she had scrubbed so vigorously at.

Shiori sits in the main room with a cup of tea as she waits for her daughter to finish packing. She looks toward the doorway to her left as footsteps give away the coming people. Seconds later, Ryu walks into the room holding a suitcase in his right hand. He sets them down next to Shiori's luggage and turns to the woman. "She will be a little weak and uncomfortable for a while, but your secret will be safe. Shiori gives him a puzzled look, but when Sakura walks out of the room she understands. The hanyou that had been so frightening the day before now had crystal-blue eyes with pupils that gave her face an ethereal appearance; her tail, claws, and ears had also disappeared and human ears had appeared on the side of her head. The young girl glares at the staring woman in front of her, quickly shaking Shiori out of her shocked reverie. "It is time for you two to be leaving. Follow me and I will assure your safe return to your world," Ryu states as he picks up all of the bags and walks out the door, Shiori and Sakura trailing behind him. "I will keep you informed through letters and if you need to contact me, you know what to do, Shiori," the neko adds as he places the suitcases in a taxi-cab's trunk. "Goodbye, Ryu," Shiori says with a quick wave before climbing into the vehicle. Ryu returns the quick wave before turning to Sakura. "Goodbye, Ryu," the girl says with much difficulty and a bow. "Goodbye, Sakura," he replies as he chokes on a surprising amount of emotion at saying goodbye to this girl. "Do not worry and do not forget my promise; for I will not;" he adds before walking back into the shadows of the alleyway they had exited from. Sakura watches him disappear with a look of utter loss on her face. "I won't," she whispers her promise before joining her mother in the taxi.

The ride back to Shiori's house was silent. The hanyou-turned-ningen stared out the window, watching the buildings of the Tokyo business district as they morphed into the sprawling lots of the Tokyo suburbs, brooding constantly about her predicament. A week ago she had been training with her father. Since then she had seen her father's lifeless form; been considered a possession that could be split among the other makai lords with her father's property; met her biological mother, whom she loathed, for the first time; and been forced to leave her home and her love, for a whole year at that. Shiori watched her daughter, glad that she could once again see her, but pained because she could not hold her, help her. The girl might be sitting two seats away from her, but she might as well be in America for the distance between the two women. The taxi cab slowed to a stop in front of a cookie-cutter suburban house with a finely manicured lawn and a thriving garden of roses, baby's breath, forget-me-nots, dragon snaps, and other flowers that Sakura did not know the names of. Shiori unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. The driver took the bags out of the trunk and received the fare. By this time the young neko hanyou had exited the vehicle and was observing the neighborhood and her new house in contempt. "Sakura, follow me please," Shiori called to the girl from halfway up the cemented walkway to the front door. Sakura gave up trying to make her setting disappear by glaring it away and focused her efforts instead on the woman in front of her. "Oh good, Shuichi is home. I'll introduce you two immediately," Shiori continued to babble as she noticed her son's window open and heard the radio softly playing a classical orchestral piece. Sakura sighed and walked up to the cheery house with a scowl and a mantra repeating in her head; _Kill me now._

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Wow, things are getting crazy! Sakura might as well be a ningen now. I wonder what she'll do about the kanji symbol... Just so you know, I most likely won't be updating soon...this is the last chapter I have written, I just felt soooo bad because I left you hanging for so long, well, at least the four people who reviewed. Who knows, maybe I'll get more reviews now! And can you see? I figured out how to add the pagebreak-thingies, isn't that awesome! Anyway, oyasumi, minna-san! 


	8. The First Truth

Konnichiwa, minna-san! I'm back from NY and I had to post this because I felt bad for not posting before I left when I said that I would. Anyway, New York was amazing. I was in Times Square on New Years Eve and got to see the ball drop. You know, it's so much smaller in person…the ball, that is, not Times Square or New York. Nope, nope; I had to ice my neck and feet after that trip; all the walking and looking straight up to see the tops of the buildings that I did. It was crazy! Anyway, enough stalling, here you go!

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Chapter 7: The First Truth

Shuichi sat at his desk, Beethoven's fifth playing softly in the background, his Physics book lying open in front of him. He stared at the page blankly, unable to focus on his homework as the worms of nervousness and worry squirmed in his abdomen, threatening his barely-eaten breakfast. When he heard the door open, he stood up so fast the chair fell down behind him, and, when he heard his mother's voice calling for him, ran down the staircase to the entryway, taking the steps two at a time. He reached the bottom of the staircase and stopped as an unexpected sight reached his eyes. A girl, his age, Hiei's height, stood in the doorway with a black suitcase behind her. She had wavy black hair that fell down to her waist, crystal blue eyes, and porcelain skin. She wore a black corset with a rich purple tubing; a black, leather mini-skirt; black, leather, mid-thigh boots with three-inch heels; a black, leather, sleeveless trench coat with a fur-trimmed neckline and a purple satin lining; and a purple arm warmer on her left arm, covering from her wrist to her upper bicep. "Oh, Shuichi, there you are," his mother's voice intrudes his thoughts. "It's good to have you back mother," he says as he gives the older woman a hug. "Yes, well, it's good to be home," she says warmly. "Shuichi, dear, I want you to meet Sakura. She will be staying with us for a while," she adds with a nod in the direction of the dark girl. "Welcome, Sakura," Shuichi says with a bright smile; one which quickly falls when the girl scowls darkly at him. She grabs her suitcase and walks toward the stairs, bumping the kitsune in the process. Halfway up the stairs Shiori calls out to her; "Sakura, wouldn't you like Shuichi to show you to your room?" The girl cringes before slowly turning around with a dark expression on her face. She looks at Shuichi, grinding her jaw before giving a monosyllabic answer: "Fine."

Silence reigned supreme as the red-headed kitsune led his guest down the hall to the guest bedroom. "This is the only other bedroom in the house, so it must be what Mother was talking about," he told the girl as he opened the door to a sunnily lit, rose patterned room. The girl next to him did not reply but walked stiffly into the room and slammed the door in Shuichi's face. "It was nice meeting you," he called through the closed door, "If you need anything, feel free to ask." He then gave the door a dark look and walked back to his room and the homework awaiting within, rubbing his nose and grumbling incoherently about moody teenage girls.

Shiori sighed as she stared into her steaming cup of tea. _I don't know what to do next. Tell Shuichi everything, or tell him nothing. Sakura doesn't see me as a mother anyway; should I allow my son to believe she is just a friend of the family, or let him know that she is his sister?_ The steam rising from the cup lessened as time passed until the hot beverage was tepid at best, but still Shiori sat at the table contemplating her choices, staring into the brown drink as through the solution would magically appear on the glassy surface.

Dinner was a silent affair, as everything that involved Sakura was. Just her presence seemed to be enough to dampen the normal small talk between mother and son. The moment she inished, Sakura stood to leave, but was stopped by Shiori. "Stay at the table please, Sakura. I want to talk to both of you as soon as we're all finished," she said after raising her hand in protest to Sakura's self-dismissal. Sakura stood for a moment, contemplating whether she should leave or not, but finally sat back down with a glare in Shiori's direction. Shiori smiled at the girl; Sakura might not like her yet, but she was at least respectful.

Shuichi stood in the doorway watching the two women. He had offered to clear the table once everyone had finished so he could watch his mother's and Sakura's interactions. _Or lack thereof._ he decided as neither woman seemed to want to begin a conversation. He silently sighed and walked back into the dining room behind Sakura. "You wanted to say something, motheM?" he asked. Sakura jumped in surprise and whipped her head around to glare at him. For a moment, Shuichi thought he heard her hiss; he could just imagine her doing that, hissing at him, like a cat. She reminded him of one. "Yes, yes," Shiori quickly interceded, "Please take a seat Shuichi-dear." Shuichi immediately complied. "Two days ago I received a letter from an old friend. Sakura's father, Daemon, had died," Shiori began, "The friend asked if I could take care of Sakura; I obviously agreed to the proposal and yesterday went to pick her up." Shiori took a deep breath, "You see, Shuichi, Sakura is…well, she's not just any child." Shuichi watched in confusion at his mother's discomfort; "Are you okay, Mother?" Shiori nodded a yes. "Oh, I'm fine, it's just that I'm not sure how to tell you this dear. You see, after your father died, I was heartbroken. I met a man during that time and I, well, I didn't mean to dishonor your father, but he was so kind. About eighteen months after you were born, I gave birth to your half-sister, Sakura," Shiori finally finished and sighed in relief. "My…sister?" Shuichi asked in pure amazement, "I don't remember this…" "Well, you were very young," Shiori assured him, "I left when you were three." "Yes, I suppose that could be it," he replied, unsure of that answer.

"You sound," Sakura began in a cold tone, eyeing her mother, "You sound like you regret it. Like you didn't want to be with my father. Like he tricked you." "No, Sakura. I was very happy with your father, it was just quite soon after my husband's death and I wanted to explain that to Shuichi," Shiori assured. Sakura rolled her eyes and looked off to the side. After several moments of nervous silence she suddenly stood up and walked toward the stairs. "He broke the rules for you. He told you he loved you," Sakura said angrily, "Don't you understand what he did for you? Yet you left. You left me and him to be with your precious son." With that she exited in a huff. Mother and son stared after her in shock. "My sister?"

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Well, tell me what you think, onegai? I like to write these, but I feel kinda sad when nobody tells me what they think…is there really nobody reading this, or do I just not matter enough for you to take a minute or two to send me a message? Sayōnara. 


	9. Brain Scan

Alright, alright. I know, I suck. I haven't updated in forever. I just have absolutely NO inspiration for this story right now. If it helps any, I've been working on another story (HieiOC). It's a one-shot, but is already sixteen pages long. I have lots of ideas for that story. Anyway. I got this far, so I decided to put them up. I am SOOO sorry for not posting for over a month. Please forgive me. Please review.

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Chapter 8: Brain Scan

Shuichi sat on his bed, contemplating the past half-hour of his life. _I just don't understand. I remember my entire life, why don't I remember Sakura? I need to talk to Yoko…maybe he remembers?_ he questions himself. Due to the kitsune thief's soul inhabiting his body, he had been able to remember his entire life. Why did this piece of information manage to slip away? How did it manage to slip away? **Hello, you have reached the residence of Yoko Kurama. He is not here at the moment, but if you leave your name and number he just might call you back later.** Yoko said irritably after several minutes of Shuichi calling out for him. _Why are you all snippy?_ Shuichi questioned. **I am locked away in some goody-two-shoes's mind with nothing to do and no one to talk to; it's not like we hold conversations very often…just when you need something. I'm sick of it.** the kitsune complained._ Yoko, no offense, but you kind of sound like a girl._ the human half sheepishly told his youkai counterpart. Minor grumblings were audible from the annoyed thief. **What do you need?** Youko questioned, giving in to Shuichi's pleas. _Help me figure out how this is possible,_ Shuichi asked, _How can I have a sister when I have no memory of her?_ Silence ensued as the ancient thief pondered the questions. **Let me view your memories.** Shuichi opened his mind completely to the kitsune in his mind, melding the two of them together. **Ah!** Youko exclaimed in wonderment. _What is it?_** Barely noticeable. Almost perfect.** the kitsune murmured. _What is?_ The human questioned in annoyance. He did not like being confused, and he had been dealing with more confusion in these past few days than he had in his entire life.** This memory. It's fake.** _Which one?_**You never lived with your mother at her friend's house after your father's demise. I missed it at first, but the transitions both into and out of this memory are not as smooth as others.**_ But, how would mother know anyone who could erase memories, or at least alter them? And why would she feel the need to have my memory altered._** I must say, Shuichi, your life is finally getting interesting.** Youko chuckled;** Maybe I'll pay a bit closer attention. Your mother is apparently more than what you considered her to be.**

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_I knew this was pointless. I knew this would not end up for the best. How could it be? She hates me. She hates father. She's just like every other ningen; a bigot. Stories are told about my race, youkai. Horrible stories of massacres of innocent humans. Where are the stories of the humans who kill us? _Sakura pondered as she stared out her window. Shiori regretted her. She knew that already. Why else would she have left them? She had thought that Shiori would at least care about her father, Damien. He had told Sakura stories of her human mother. Wonderful stories of how she looked past his appearance, past the fact that he was youkai, past the fact that he had killed many. _I know better now._ Stories. That was all they were. Lies. Nothing but fallacies, fairy tales that had never happened, would never happen. Her hand instinctively went to her arm and she traced the kanji symbol etched into her skin by Ryu's youki. 'Youkai.' That is what it read. She grimaced._ Ryu. Kami, how I miss you. It has been one day, but even now I am counting down the days until you return to take me away._ She sighed in defeat. She felt exhausted, worn out. She needed sleep.

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There, chapter 8. I also have chapter 9 done. I'll post it as soon as I proof it, but just so you now, it is short. It will be my shortest chapter yet, but it is VERY important to the plot. I would also like to thank Idiotwithnoemailaddress for messaging me. If you're reading, Itried to message you back, but my computer froze and I lost your message and cannot find your page on fanfiction. GRRR! Anyway, sayonara minna-san! 


	10. Betrayal

Sumimasen minna-san! I know I promised to post this soon, but school got psychotic and my work schedule was just too hectic! I have the next chapter finished and I promise on my creativity that I will post it within the week. I know it's short, but the next chapter is a little longer. Plus, this is an important chapter. So read!

Chapter 9: Betrayal

_My dear Sakura. You will understand everything in the end, but until then…_ "Myushi-sama is ready to see you," the inu youkai stated arrogantly. The man stood up and walked into the inner chambers of his enemies' lair, his allies' lair, his lair. _I am my own worst enemy. I am destroying lives I swore to protect._ He disgusted himself, but it was too late to turn back now, so he barreled ahead. She sat at the head of the table, like always._ The inu youkai always were quite stupid,_ he told himself as he looked around the hidden hideout for Myushi's group. _It is all so cliché._ He bowed to her once before sitting opposite of the inu youkai ruler. "Well?" Her question was sharp and he knew to get down to business. He handed her a bag. She took it greedily and opened it with a smile on her face. "Ah, yes. The head of my nemesis," she growled as she pulled Damien's head out by his now dull and coarse, blood-coated hair, "Damien, you old fool. I told you cats would never win." The man sat there. Disgusted at himself. Disgusted at Myushi. "What about the daughter? I believe Sakura was her name," the inu asked in a much happier tone. "She will not bother you or disrupt your plans," the man grunted. "Good. Here is your payment." The man grabbed the purse of coins thrown at him. Weighing it carefully, he found it to be the promised amount. "Unlike cats, us dogs follow through with promises," Myushi growled. This man dare disrespect her by counting coin? The man stood up and walked toward the door. "Do stay nearby. You never know when we will need you for another job, Ryu."


	11. Monday Morning

See, minna-san? I told you I would put it up soon, and I am actually keeping my promise! I'm not completely incompetent. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to do this, but thank you to my SIX reviewers: ShadeSpirit, Miko Meihi, IdiotWithNoEmailAddress, Deannamay, prismdragon, and tsuki-tora. Yay, reviews!

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Chapter 10: Monday Morning 

A loud beeping sound brought Sakura out of the peaceful darkness and into the bright reality of seven o'clock in the morning. She opened her eyes and deftly pressed the snooze button before shutting the alarm clock off. She had been awake for the past two hours, but did not feel the reason to leave the room. The room, not her room. It would never be her room. She exhaled angrily as she stared out the window at the rising sun. Today was going to be hell. The aggravated girl stomped to the closet, her heavy steps barely muffled by the thick carpet, and slid the door open. It stared at her, laughing at her. She did not want to wear it, but did she have a choice? No, Shiori had already made that clear. As had the principal of Meiou High. She sneered at the uniform before tearing it off its hanger. She slipped the small magenta skirt with gold trim over her slim hips and had a lot of trouble with the collar on her sailor-style gold-trimmed, white top. She wanted to tear of the big magenta bow, but it was part of the uniform, and the uniform could not be altered. Why did she care again? Oh, yes, Ryu made her promise to be a good girl until he came back for her. She sighed sadly. Why did he have to abandon her for a year again? He had never told her the real reason. The reasons he had given her before she left were fallacies, she knew that. She was strong enough to survive Makai and she deserved the chance to revenge her father's death as much as he did. Angry tears came unbidden to her eyes as she remembered her father's figure lying prone on the ground, his head missing.

A knock at the door. Who was it? Did it matter? "Sakura, dear, please hurry up. You do not want to be late for your first day of school. Plus, I made you a hearty breakfast," Shiori's voice called out. Sakura snorted. She could go days without eating, what did breakfast matter to her? She looked in the mirror once before slipping on her shoes and grabbing her book bag. She did not need breakfast and she made that painstakingly clear as she walked past Shuichi and Shiori sitting at the table and out the front door.

She remembered where the school was from last week when she had taken the placement tests. Shiori had walked her there, despite Shuichi's protests to take a cab or the metro. "Shuichi, dear, I need some air and exercise. I am not an invalid," had been her response. He had stopped complaining, but his eyes clearly expressed his dislike of the plan. The teacher who had administrated the test was old. He had wrinkles enough to make him look like a pug, and his hair was so sparse it seemed to only grow in small clumps all over his head. Sakura had found it very distracting, she did not even finish the test. She had imagined the patches of hair as shapes, much as one looks at the clouds for familiar figures. Maybe that was why she scored lower than she had expected, she missed eight problems total. She should have gotten them all. Her father had taught her ningen studies at an early age and she had surpassed high school level by age ten. The teacher's old age and the limitations of the education of the human students, who were the same age as her, only seemed to impress upon Sakura the weaknesses of humanity. Oh, how she missed her father's lands.

She walked onto the school grounds and looked at the menacing building in front of her. Teenagers were already filing into the building. Classes would start in fifteen minutes. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out before walking into the building. Today was going to be hell.


	12. Acquaintances

Sugoi! I am actually posting on time! I know, I know, you probably cannot believe it, but here is the next chapter! I am working on chapter 14 right now, so I should be able to get them posted on time now, as long as I keep ahead of myself. Anyway, you guys are actually pretty lucky. I'm going out of town this weekend so I figured I had to post before I left. Anyway, enjoy.

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Chapter 11: Acquaintances 

"Minamino Sakura!" the teacher yelled as she slammed her pointer on the young girl's desk. Sakura jumped, pulled out of her musings by the loud crack of wood and shrill cry. She turned her face to the woman, a scowl barely held behind a façade of calm. "What?" she asked through gritted teeth. Today had not been going well and now an old lady's screeching had given her a headache. "What is the answer to the question on the board?" the gaunt woman asked in a seething tone. "I don't care. If I did, do you think I would be ignoring your constant rambling?" Sakura replied in a similar manner, "Besides, you've given me a headache." "That is it, young lady! Either you start paying attention to the lesson or you can leave this class and not return!" Sakura flinched. This lady knew how to scream. She pitied the hag's mate. The teacher stood there, fuming, eyes wide in anger, feet shoulder-width apart for balance, and shoulders hunched, making her already frail frame even worse. "Can I really leave?" Sakura asked, a glimmer of hope hidden under layers of malice. What would the teacher do next? She screamed in rage and stomped her foot. "Out! Out, out, out! To the principal's office this instant and do not return to class today!" Sakura slowly and calmly gathered her books, slipping them carefully into her book bag. After silently closing the door behind her, Sakura walked off the school grounds, happily taking the rest of the day off. Inside the classroom, the haggard teacher turned to her brightest student. "Your sister is not what one would expect, Shuichi." The young man sighed, "Don't I know it."

_Maybe I should have stayed at school._ Sakura sighed in boredom. There was absolutely nothing to do, or at least she did not know what there was to do. What did humans do for fun anyway? Have sex? They seemed to do that a lot on the television shows. She knew fighting was a definite no-no. Ningenkai had laws about hurting others, unless it was in self-defense, and Sakura was never one to just defend herself. Her father had taught her about life in the Ningenkai as far as technology, laws, education, and status, but she had not learned much about everyday life; especially that of a teenager. At the moment, she was sitting on a park bench, watching mothers play with their children who were still too young for school.

"Oi! What's a Meiou student doing out of school?" a male voice called. Sakura turned around to see two teenage boys walking up to her. "So, ya mind answering the question?" the shorter one asked. He seemed to be the leader of the two. "I don't have to answer any question you ask me," she replied, glaring at the two. Who were they to question her? "Heh heh," the shorter one replied with his right hand behind his head, "No need to get angry." "Hello, my beautiful maiden," the other one finally began to talk, "Please excuse my friend's rudeness. I am the great Kuwabara Kazuma and-" She never let him finish his sentence before hitting the side of his head. "Come near me again and I will make you suffer." "Urameshi?" the one on the floor asked. "What, Kuwabara?" the other one asked. "She reminds me of the shrimp," he finished with tears in his eyes. This girl hit hard.

"You bore me, I'm leaving," Sakura stated and then stood up. Both watched her walk away, but before she could get far, the shorter one called out, "Wait!" Sakura stopped and looked behind her. "You looked bored to begin with. Wanna come with us to the arcade?" he asked. "Arcade?" she asked in a puzzled tone. "Yeah, ya know. With all the games and the pizza," he said. Sakura was still confused. Arcade? Pizza? But these two teens seemed pretty excited about it. "I guess I can try it," she replied. "Great! By the way, I'm Urameshi Yusuke. You already met Kuwabara down there," he added. Sakura looked to Kuwabara who was sitting on the ground, holding his head. "You're still down there? Kami, I didn't hit you that hard," she said. "Oh, no. It's not that," he said stupidly, "I was just looking at, uh…looking at the trail of ants right there. Yeah, that's it!" "You're not too bright, are you?" she asks flatly. She was not expecting an answer.

"So, what's your name?" the boy identified as Yusuke asked Sakura, "I never caught it." "I never gave it," she replied, "But it's Sakura." The trio began walking out of the park, Kuwabara still lightly rubbing his head. "So, what is a Meiou student doing out of classes? No offense, but, your school is known for its goody-good, straight-A students," Yusuke asked. "The teacher said to not return to class. She never said which one, so I just decided to leave school entirely," she answers with a smirk. She liked seeing how far she could push humans until they cracked. They were slightly entertaining then. "I like you already," Yusuke replied with a grin as he placed his arm over her shoulder in a friendly manor. She stopped and stared blankly at it until he removed it, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "So, arcade, right?"


	13. Arcade

Konban wa minna-san! I did it again! I updated within a week! Isn't that special? The thing is...I'm not sure if I will be able to update next week. I have a performance which will take up, like, all of my time (rehearsals everyday until nine at night and two shows!) I'll do my best to update, but I am unsure if I will be able to. Check back anyways, though, because, like I said, I will try my very hardest to update. Anways, enjoy! .

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Chapter 12: Arcade

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Sakura walked into a small building and Sakura immediately hated it. Bright lights flashed everywhere and annoying, high-pitched dings and whistles emitted loudly from most of the machines. Despite being noisy, the place was generally empty, seeing as how school had yet to end. Yusuke and Kuwabara dragged the girl to the nearest game and slipped two tokens – which they had bought from the token machine by the entrance – in each slot. "This is our favorite game, although I don't understand why Kuwabara likes it so much. I beat him every time," Yusuke bragged, "In fact, no one can beat me, I have the top score!" "Well isn't that special?" Sakura said sarcastically. She was not impressed. Yusuke never replied; in fact, Sakura doubted he even heard her. The game had already started and the two boys were caught up in racing each other and crashing intobuildingsand peoplein Cruisin' World. She sighed once and walked around the building, looking for anything that might catch her interest, but even the fighting games looked dull. She had seen enough real blood so that the animated blobs of red that splattered whenever a hit was landed were nothing. She reached the back of the building and saw a bar (A/N: no, not that kind. Sakura's not going to get drunk) with a bunch of stools around it and booths placed back to back against the wall. "Hello miss, how can I help ya?" a boy, around college age asked her. She glanced at him once before turning around and walking back to the entrance. She was not going to stay here one more second; she had a headache coming on and had barely recuperated from the one her teacher had given her. "Oi! Sakura, where ya goin'?" Yusuke asked. He had already defeated Kuwabara five times and had tired of his friend's constant pleas for a rematch. "I am going home," she replied, "This place does not impress me." "Oh, well, I guess everyone has their own likes and dislikes," the dark haired boy replied, "But at least let us walk you home. It's only fair, we did bring you all the way to midtown." "If you wish, then there is not much I can do to stop you, however I do not need the company," she replied and then turned around, continuing toward the sliding glass doors. "Hey, Kuwabara, come on! We're walking Sakura home," Yusuke cried. The carrot top came ambling down the center aisle with a cat plush doll. "It reminded me of Eikichi and I just had to get it," he said in defense as his friend gave him a teasing grin. With that, the two boys walked out the door and caught up with Sakura.


	14. Minamino!

Yes! I got some free time and had the chance to post this chapter! Anyway, school is crazy and my mom is about to kill me over my grades (I have a D in English! It's the end of the world!) I'm quitting my job so I can catch up and I'm not writing anymore than what I have written of this story because my mom wants me completely focused on my school work.Hopefully I can stay ahead of myself...' But I digress. You are not here to read my babble. In fact, if anyone is still reading this paragraph, I am shocked. Now, on with the story. Enjoy!

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Chapter 13: Minamino! 

"I'm beginning to regret this," Yusuke said as they turned down another street. How long had they been walking? "You did not have to come," she replied, "In fact, I much prefer solitude over company." "Why'd you let us come then?" Yusuke asked in agitation. His feet were throbbing and he just wanted to sit down and put them up. "You were the one who wanted to come," she replied unphased. "Well, that was before I knew how far you lived," he complained. She abruptly halted and turned to face him, "You can leave if you want, but quit whining. It's quite annoying." "It's okay, I mean, you can't live much further," he replied. "No, it is only a couple more blocks," she replied. Yusuke nodded and the trio began to walk again.

"Hey, Urameshi," Kuwabara said, "Isn't this near Kurama's house?" Sakura's ears perked at the name. It was most likely a coincidence, but she wanted to make sure. "Yeah, it is," Yusuke replied, "Let's stop in and see him after we drop Sakura off." With that agreed, conversation ceased and Sakura sulked. How would she find out if they knew about Shuichi or not now? "Hey, it's his house!" the carrot top screeched, pointing at the same house Sakura was walking toward at that very moment. Well, that helped. Then something clicked. _Urameshi? Kuwabara? I spent the day with the Reikai Tantei!_ Sakura thought bewilderedly. "So, which is your house?" Yusuke asked her. Sakura nodded toward the house with the most beautiful lawn in front of it and Yusuke and Kuwabara stopped. "You're the Sakura Shuichi was talking about!" the gelled teen replied in shock. "Yes. As of last week, I am Minamino Sakura. Shiori is my…my…" "Mother?" Yusuke offered. Sakura flinched, "Sadly, yes."

With that said, the girl walked up the path to the front door and opened it to see Shiori talking frantically on the phone and Shuichi looking very annoyed. "Shuichi!" the two boys called out, causing the redhead to move his stare from the tabletop to the entryway. "Yusuke? Kuwabara? What are you two doing with Sakura?" he questioned. Shiori ran to the entryway, leaving the phone hanging off the receiver. "Sakura! Oh, Kami, where were you? I was so worried! I got a call from the school and then Shuichi said you didn't show up to any of your other classes," she cried, pulling the girl into a hug, "I was worried that you might have been hurt." Sakura pushed the woman off of her with a snarl. "Me? Hurt? Please, what being here could do that?" She angrily stomped up the stairs, not even replying to Yusuke and Kuwabara's goodbyes.


	15. New Ideas

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back! And it's FINALLY spring break! I am absolutely stoked (do people even use that word anymore? Oh, well. Who cares? I don't). Anyways, I'm sure you did not come to listen to my rambling, so here you go:

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Chapter 14: New Ideas

"So, let me get this straight. She's your half-sister through your mother who has taken her in because her father was murdered?" "Yes, Yusuke, that is what I have been explaining for quite a while," the kitsune replied with an aggravated sigh. "I still don't get it," Kuwabara said with a stupefied look on his face. "Well, what's new about that?" Yusuke replied. "I just don't understand something, though," Kurama added. "What's that?" Yusuke questioned. "Something she said to my mother when she told me about my relation to Sakura. Plus, I found a false memory from when I was young," he explained then cringed, "Well, okay, Youko found a false memory from when I was young." That thief wanted due praise for his findings. "False memory?" Kuwabara asked in a confused tone. "What I remember was implanted in my mind to cover something else up. I don't know what it is supposed to cover up. I've been trying to break through it, but I can find nothing underneath. I think my mind might have been erased of that memory and this one was then implanted. I just don't understand it because who would my mother know that would be able to do this? And what would she need to cover up?" Kurama said. "Man, I would hate to be you," Yusuke stated, "I mean, I thought my life was confusing. Maybe you should go to Koenma and he can help you." Kurama looked up at Yusuke in surprise, "You know, Yusuke, that is actually a pretty good idea." "Of course it is," Yusuke replied, "I came up with it." He wore the cheesiest grin Kurama had ever seen. "I shall talk to him tomorrow. Maybe he can help answer some of my questions," Kurama decided with a tone of finality. At that mark, the three boys stood up and walked toward the front door; it was time for Yusuke and Kuwabara to leave. They stood on the porch, saying their goodbyes, when Kuwabara blurted out, "Man, your sister's weird! What was with what she said earlier? About not getting hurt? And she treats your mom really mean. She said that Shiori was **sadly** her mother. What is wrong with her?" Kurama sighed, "I have yet to figure that out. And if you think that is weird, you should have heard her the first night she was here, when Mother told me that we were related." "What did she say?" Yusuke asked curiously. "Something along the lines of her father giving up everything and breaking the rules for our mother and Mother didn't even care. It was confusing." "Sounds like it," Yusuke replied, "Anyway, see ya tomorrow." "See you tomorrow," Kurama replied, waving after his two friends before walking back inside and closing the door.


	16. The Other Tantei

Hey peoples. Guess what? My computer went absolutely haywire this week! We had to completely reprogram it. I'm just lucky I had this one uploaded onto fanfiction already. My other chapters suffered a worse fate than my grades did (I got two C's...that's not good). Anyway, don't hurt me or burn me if I don't post next weekend, okay? I just have to rewrite everything, so, yeah, okay, read, now.

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Chapter 15: The Other Tantei

"This house reeks of ningen even more than before," a shadowed figure in the corner of the living room stated. "Hiei, you cannot just come in on a whim now," Kurama replied, "Sakura might suspect something if you just appear or disappear. It's not normal by human standards." Hiei gave him a pointed look and Kurama sighed. "Yes, Hiei. I know you're not human," he replies. "So you are going to see the toddler tomorrow?" Hiei asks, effectively changing the subject. "Yes," Kurama replied, "I just have too many questions and I think he might be able to help me answer some. Reikai keeps very meticulous records on both humans and demons, so, hopefully, Koenma will grant me access to my and my mother's records."

Sakura stood out of sight, leaning against the wall outside the entryway to the living room, listening to the two boys talk. _So this is Hiei, the other traitor._ She was careful not to make a sound. If there was anything Sakura did not want to do it was to tip the two boys off to her presence. "Oh, Sakura-dear," her mother called out in surprise. So much for staying hidden. The two boys in the living room stiffened and looked toward the door. "What?" Sakura barked as she stepped away from the wall. "I was just going to tell you that I was leaving for my book club meeting. Shuichi knows that I go every Monday night, but I thought I should tell you," Shiori replied, "If you could tell your brother that dinner is in the oven, I am sure he can take care of the rest."

"You're leaving already, Mother?" Shuichi asked, walking out of the living room with Hiei. "Ah, there you are Shuichi-dear! And one of your friends is here too? It is good to see you," Shiori said to Hiei. The small hiyoukai barely spared the woman a glance. "There is a casserole in the oven, Shuichi-dear. One of your stepfather's business partners' wives from America told me the recipe. I do hope I made it correctly. Oh, and don't worry, it is large enough for all three of you to each have a good-sized portion," the older woman continued, "Especially you, Sakura-dear. You skipped breakfast. Did you even eat any lunch?" Sakura remained silent, glaring at the wall to her right. Shiori smiled softly, "I figured as much." Sakura gave the woman a surprised face. How had she known? "Well, you three, I must be off. I will be back at around ten. Try to get to bed early, though," Shiori added as she grabbed her purse. She waved a final goodbye and left the three teenagers to their own devices.


	17. Don't Play With Matches

Yay! I'm back from the land of the dead (also known as 4th quarter). I know, I know, it has been FOREVER since I have updated, but with AP tests, SATs, final projects, and finals I have litterally had NO time. I seriously had less than fifty hours of sleep my last two weeks of school (not good considering a teenager should have at least eight hours a night meaning I should have had twice that). But anyway, I am back and trying to get into the swing of writing again, so here is the next chapter.

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**Chapter 16: Don't Play With Matches…**

The moment Shiori left, Sakura turned to the two boys. "Leave me alone for the rest of the night and I'll consider doing the same," she warned before walking up the stairs to the bedroom her mother had given her.

Kurama sighed the moment he heard a door upstairs slam and walked back into the living room to plop onto the couch.

"That's the brat your mother took in?" Hiei asked.

"If only she wasn't," Kurama replied worn.

"Hn. She annoys me."

"Yusuke and Kuwabara think something's wrong with her," Kurama informed, "I just think she's hiding something."

"She's a human brat," Hiei argued, "That's all there is to it."

"She acts like you," Kurama teased.

Hiei glared at him, but the fox took it all in stride.

"She pushes others away, refuses to acknowledge any opinions or logic but her own-"

"Do not compare me to a human, Kurama. They are pathetic."

_The constant attitude and putting down of others…_the red-headed boy added in his mind.

The conversation soon went off on a tangent, which was good for both Hiei and Kurama, because Hiei had become a little angry with all the teasing.

"I've got to go start the oven," Kurama suddenly said, standing up and heading for the kitchen, "I'll be right back."

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Sakura stood in her room, holding one of the few items that she had been allowed to take; after a couple adjustments had been made, of course. She could not take Makai weapons into a Spirit Detective's house in the human world if she was supposed to be disguised as a naïve human.

To hide their heritage, her sais had been gilded with normal human steel after wards had been placed on them; now they would not try to channel her power – they could override the mark otherwise.

She ran through her drills, the same drills she had been doing the past week. Thanks to Ryu's seal, she had lost her strength and had had to reacquaint herself with her weapons' heft. It had not taken too long; her strength did not rely completely on her youki, she herself was a strong being.

She looked out the window and into the backyard. Practice would be so much easier in such an open space. She would practice down there, she decided, she did not care if Shuichi knew she fought. Why else would she have had the seals and wards placed onto her weapons?

She slipped her sais into her belt and headed downstairs.

"Oh, good," Shuichi said as Sakura walked past the kitchen, "You're here. I don't have to go up to get you for dinner."

"Not hungry," she answered monotonously without even looking back at him.

Shuichi sighed; this was getting really annoying – she was getting really annoying.

"You haven't eaten all day," Shuichi argued as he followed after her when she walked into the backyard, "You should eat, hungry or not."

She whipped around and pressed the tip of the prongs of one of her sais into his throat. "I am not hungry," she said slowly in a cold and gravely voice. Her eyes glowed with malice.

Shuichi stood still, shocked at her reaction. Surely she just meant to try to scare him. She would not really attack him, would she?

Hiei, who had followed his friend out to watch what would happen, was not taking any chances. "Put it down," he commanded coldly as he pressed the tip of his katana against Sakura's throat.

She stiffened immediately, but did not remove the weapon.

"Do it," Hiei ordered as he pressed the tip of his katana against her throat harder.

Suddenly, she swung her other sai up and knocked the blade away from her throat.

"Do not threaten me," she growled as she dropped into a defensive stance.

Hiei smirked as he took a fighting stance as well. While he normally would have left a human alone, seeing as how superior he was to them, this girl annoyed him and he had decided to teach her to never belittle or argue against him again.

Kurama stood off to the side with a concerned face. This would not end well.

"You would do well to give in," Hiei warned, allowing the girl a final moment to back out gracefully.

"Never."

Her eyes were cold as she crossed her weapons in front of her chest and stiffly bowed to him.

Hiei eyed her warily, but mimicked her actions. How had she known to do that? That was how well-trained, higher class youkai began a spar. He brushed it off as mere coincidence, however.

Kurama was just as confused as Hiei, but he did not brush it off so easily. With everything happening in his life at the moment, he did not have the luxury to do so.

The two fighters took beginning stances, feet spread and knees bent to better allow for balance.

Hiei looked Sakura in the eye and the two simultaneously nodded.

The fight had begun.


	18. You Might Get Burned

Yay! Two weeks in a row! I never expected summer to be so crazy, I have at least three things going on each week not to mention the pile of summer homework my teachers decided to dump on us. Grr...summery homework. Anyways, this is more or less a continuation of the last chapter, as you can tell by the title. I thought it was cool. So enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 17: …You Might Get Burned**

Sakura caught the blade of Hiei's katana in one of her sais and swiped at his abdomen with her free weapon.

Hiei jumped out of her range only to swing his blade at her again.

Kurama sat there with a first aid kit, hoping among hope that Hiei would not kill his sister. Not specifically because he cared about her that much, but because Hiei was still under probation. He also worried that Hiei would tap into his powers, which would mean Sakura would have to be told everything.

"Ugh!"

The reverberations from Hiei's blade meeting Sakura's sai traveled down her arm, sending it into shock. She dropped the sai that was in that hand shook her entire arm, trying to revive it.

Hiei reared back, preparing for a final attack. This spar had lasted long enough; the girl should not have been able to fight so long. But just before his blow struck, Sakura grabbed the sai she had dropped and, while blocking his blow with one weapon, hit his wrist with the other.

Everyone heard it crack.

Hiei jumped away and tossed his katana to his left hand. He might prefer his right, but he had purposely trained himself to become ambidextrous just in case the need arose.

"You try my patience," he growled as he tried to make a fist out of his right hand. He failed.

"Well you don't have to worry about that for me because I have none," Sakura replied as she rushed to attack him once more. Hiei blocked her attack and jumped back to avoid her foot. Before she could regain her balance, he dropped down and swung his foot out to trip her.

She fell to the ground with a thud and Hiei put the tip of his katana at her throat once again.

Sakura glared at him. All of her hate and anger was directed at him, but Hiei remained unphased.

"I win."

Hiei put his blade back in its sheath and walked back into the house as if nothing had happened.

Kurama stood up and followed him, breathing a sigh of relief that the only injuries would be a couple bruises and Hiei's fractured wrist, which would not take long to heal. He gave his sister one final glance, though, before running into the kitchen after smelling the casserole burning.

Sakura sat on the ground, picking at the blades of grass. If only she had complete access to her power. If only this were a real fight. If only she were in Makai. Everything here made life difficult for her and she was already sick of living as a human. There was no way she would last the year.


	19. Access Denied

Chapter 18: Access Denied

Kurama woke with the sun the next morning and quickly dressed. He wanted to view his file and still have time to make it to school, but to do that he would have to be in Reikai early.

Despite getting ready and out of the house quickly and quietly, Kurama still had to wait before Koenma could see him. But the wait would be worth it, he kept telling himself. Solving this mystery would be worth it. That was why he stayed waiting outside the double doors when school started.

Just because he thought the wait was worth the results he expected, however, did not mean he did not grow impatient; and the next time he saw George walking past he pulled him to the side.

"What is taking Koenma so long?" he asked in aggravation.

George became nervous at Kurama's anxiety and began to stutter. "H-he, uh, he's in a, um, he's in a me-meet-meeting with his f-fath, with King Enma," he finally managed.

Kurama sighed.

Hopefully the meeting would not last much longer.

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Koenma popped into his room and stood up on his chair.

He sighed in aggravation, but his aggravation was not due to the quickly growing piles of paperwork. He had been forced to wait two hours with his father for the man who called the meeting, but he had never shown.

"Ogre!"

George came running through the door.

"Yes, Koenma-sir?" he asked in a rushed tone.

"I need this letter sent out immediately," Koenma ordered, "Give this to the first messenger you see."

"Of course, Koenma-sir."

The blue ogre ran out of the room, not bothering to stop as a green ogre came in with a pile of paperwork.

Koenma sighed and put his head in his hands.

Why did he deal with them? How did he deal with them?

"Koenma-sir."

The voice was firm and not at all afraid.

Koenma looked up with a very haggard face to see Kurama standing in front of him.

"What are you doing here?"

Kurama lifted an eyebrow in question, but then shook it off.

"I need permission to access a couple files."

"Is there any other time you can come back? I am extremely busy right now, not to mention annoyed over the fact that a demon lord my father and I had a meeting with did not show," Koenma tiredly told the kitsune.

"I have actually been waiting quite a while and would prefer to get this over with right now," Kurama replied, "All I need, really, is your permission."

"What is it? What are the files?"

"Mine," Kurama answered, "I need access to my and my mother's memory files."

"Why would you need access to those?" Koenma asked confused, "Haven't you retained all of your memories as a human?"

"Yes, but I have found a false memory and I believe that the true memory would answer many of my questions that I have."

"Well, Kurama, I'm sorry but you know those files are classified. The living are not allowed to see them."

"I know that," Kurama said curtly, "But a complete portion of my life has been replaced. I did not even know that I had a sister until a couple weeks ago. The only part of my memory that has been replaced is the part of my memory that involves her. Who would want to erase the memory of a one and a half year old? Who would my mother know that would be able to do something? I know that she had to know whoever it was because my mother barely left me out of her sight when I was a child."

Koenma sighed exasperatedly, but gave Kurama a firm look.

"I cannot grant you access to those files," he said with a tone of authority and finality, "Now, please, I have plenty of work to do and a demon lord to find and I am sure you have school you are missing."

Kurama ground his jaw, but nodded acquiescence and quietly walked out of the office with a set face.

He would have to find his answers some other way.

* * *

You are all probably going to hate me, but writer's block has a strong hold of me at the moment. I have ideas for other stories that I'm working on, but not for this one. I know where I want it to go, just not completely sure how to get there. I don't know how long of a break I'll be taking, but I will be taking one. 

Sumimasen.

And no, I'm not doing this to get more people to review. I know some authors just want people to write them and tell them to hurry up and write more because it's a good story, but I really just need a break. It's not just the writer's block, either. I have a bunch of shit going on in my life right now and I have to deal with that before I can really focus on my writing. As you can tell in this chapter, my skills have gone to crap. You can still review if you like, but as I have said before: It's not necessary, although greatly appreciated.


	20. Troubled Toddler

Well, I got this chapter typed up, although I'm not completely proud of it, but it's the best I can do as of now. I can finally start to write a bit more now that I have about half of my summer homework done (not summerschool homework, but homework for next year that is assigned over the summer - my school sucks like that.).

So, anyway, yeah...here's the next chapter and I'll see if I can type up chapter twenty before I go see my dad sometime this week.

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Chapter 19: Troubled Toddler **

Koenma leaned his head down into his hands and grumpily grunted.He watched as a green ogre took the recently finished stack of papers out of his room as George brought in a new stack of papers that needed his authorization.

He sighed and returned his gaze to the hard wood of his desk, slowly blinking in utter exhaustion.

For the past month he had been going non-stop and he had gained absolutely no ground on the case. In fact, he was losing it, and fast. Each spy he sent out came back within the week – in a box. One of his top spies had even been returned in many tiny boxes inside one large box. That had been a nauseating experience.

But the case could not just be pushed aside.

The murder of a demon lord, even a lesser one, was a serious offense in the Makai; and this specific lord's murder could be considered a serious offense in the Reikai as well because this demon lord happened to be one of the few human sympathizers that kept his followers in check and in the Makai.

Koenma had never had a problem with Lord Damien's land before, but problems were beginning to arise now that the land was being fought over by other lords.

Not to mention the fact that his hanyou daughter had disappeared into thin air and Koenma's father had assigned Koenma the case of finding both Damien's murderer and his daughter before too much chaos started in Makai.

The death of anyone in a position of higher power always caused disorder. A political vacuum was created and every demon that deemed himself worthy would try to fill it.

Koenma sighed in annoyance.

Why couldn't his job ever be easy?

He was still being annoyed by Kurama about once a week, too.

Couldn't the kitsune realize that what he was asking was impossible? His father was angry enough at him without Koenma giving Kurama permission to break Reikai law.

Still, something about Kurama's request kept nagging at the back of Koenma's mind. He was not sure what it was specifically, but something stuck out as wrong and Koenma was sure he should know what it was.

"Gahr!" he yelled and another ogre that had come in with another pile of papers screamed in surprise and fear and ran back out of the room, leaving the stack of papers he had accidentally thrown to fall to the ground in disarray.

"Koenma-sir, what's wrong? You don't look so well."

Koenma raised his head from where it lay on the desk to look at the figure before him.

"Oh, Botan."

"Of course it's me!" the preppy woman replied, "But really, Koenma-sir, what's going on?"

"You know about the demon lord that was murdered?"

When Botan nodded her head Koenma continued, "I can't make any headway on the case. Every person I send out comes back dead."

Botan bit her lip in thought and placed her hand on her chin. Her left eye squinted in concentration for a moment, but then she jumped and clapped her hands.

"Why don't you send the boys on the case? They always seem to come out on top, Koenma-sir, even when the odds are stacked incredibly high against them."

"This is not for them, Botan," Koenma replied sternly, "This involves skills they don't have. Those four fight; I need spies for this."

Botan merely shrugged and summoned her oar in preparation to leave.

"Alright, sir, but consider this: the boys might be a little too obvious about their mission, but they won't end up like Suchiro."

Koenma shivered at the remembrance of the 100 tiny boxes that had been delivered to him, and by the time he had come up with a reply Botan had disappeared.

"Gahr!" Koenma cried while slamming his head onto his desk. The same ogre that had previously came in jumped and the restacked papers he had just picked up from the floor went falling back down as he zipped back outside of the office.

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Yeah, yeah, I just had to put a teensy bit of humor in it. Oh man, when I was writing humor I accidentally typed in homework first. It was horrible! 

Hm. That gives me an idea...maybe I can write a little side-story (not a necessary part of this plot) of how Sakura deals with homework...

I'm pure evil, that I am.


	21. Spies and Murderers

Konban wa! I had an idea, so I figured I would write it out before it went away again. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to post another chapter before I leave for my dad's tomorrow because I don't know if I will be able to write anything there. I'll be taking care of my dad, who is being released from the hospital Wednesday, as well as doing my summer homework, so I have no clue how packed my schedule might be...it all depends on whether or not my dad does well once he gets home.

So anyway, here's my next chapter and I must say I am proud of it. It has some suspense in it and you will have many questions at the end.

Hehehe! I am EVIL like that!

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Chapter 20: Spies and Murderers **

Hiei sat in the tree outside of Kurama's house, watching carefully as all the lights in the house were slowly extinguished until just one remained.

That one soon went out as well and he jumped onto a closer branch.

The glare from the street lamps made it a little difficult to see in the window at first, but with some slight readjusting of his position and squinting of his eyes, he was able to see the form of the sleeping occupant.

"How can a normal human girl do that well in a fight against me?" he asked the wind as he watched Sakura roll over in her bed.

"She can't be normal," he decided, "And I will find out what she is."

----

_She banged on her door, pounding her fists in it as she tried to knock it down, screaming the whole time._

_"Let me out! Let me out!"_

_She rammed her shoulder into it and, when that did not work, kicked it._

_Still she could not open it._

_So she stood there, locked in her room as Ryu and her father and everyone else fought off the attackers._

_"Father," she called out, "Ryu."_

_They had locked her in there when the attack started, trying to keep her out of the fight._

_But didn't they understand? She wanted to fight. She wanted to fight alongside them._

_A rush of footsteps past her door and a blood-curdling scream and silence._

_Sakura tried the door once again, to find it unlocked._

_Finding herself free of her momentary prison, she ran for the study, where she had heard most of the noise coming from: arguments and fights._

_"Father!" she shouted as she ran into the room only to stop dead in her tracks at the scene in front of her._

_The walls were splashed with blood, bodies lay everywhere, but none of that mattered._

_No._

_All that mattered was the body that lay in the middle of the room – the body dressed in her father's robes – the body without a head._

_She couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she couldn't look at it but she couldn't look away._

_She moved closer, maybe out of morbid curiosity. She just had to make sure – was this person her father?_

_He was._

_Footsteps rang loud in the room and Sakura looked up to see who had interrupted the silence of death and her mourning._

_"Ryu…"_

_"Sakura," the blue neko replied with a pained expression._

_"You are covered in father's blood," she noticed._

_"I caught him as he fell and lay him on the ground," he replied, "I chased after the bastard that took his head, too. I just wish he had not gotten away."_

_Sakura nodded dumbly as she pulled her father's body onto her lap._

_"Your katana?"_

_He hesitated for a moment._

_"I threw it at the escaping murderer," he finally said in chagrin, "I lost my temper."_

_"Oh."_

_Her gaze returned to her father and she stared blankly at where his head should have been until her vision grew blurry._

_In confusion she brought one of her now bloody hands up to her eyes and wiped at them, smearing her father's blood on her cheek. What was this water coming from her eyes?_

_"Sakura, give me the body," Ryu commanded as he noticed the young girl going into shock. He reached out to take it from her, but the lost girl merely pulled it closer, hugging it to her chest._

_"Iie."_

_Her breathing grew ragged, the water spilled down her face and neck, some drops falling onto her father's cooling corpse as she rocked back and forth._

_"Father!" she cried out in pain._

_"Father!"_

----

"Father!" Sakura screamed as she sat up in bed.

Hiei watched from the window in confusion. Had her eyes flashed silver momentarily? Or was it just the light?

The panicking girl doubled over in pain as she lifted her right hand up to her left biceps and gritted her teeth so as not to release any more cries that might wake the other occupants.

She stood up and made her way over to the mirror in her room, flipping the light switch on the way.

She squinted momentarily as her eyes grew accustomed to the light, but then lifted up the left sleeve on her nightshirt to reveal her youki-seal, glowing the same cerulean blue as Ryu's youki.

Hiei stared in wonder at it.

His eyes could not be playing that many tricks on him. So the girl was a demon in disguise.

But why?

And who, if anyone, knew her secret?

* * *

Oooh! Do I have your attention? Hm...what will Hiei do with this newfound information and how will Sakura react? That even I do not know. And I'm the authoress. That can't be good, can it? 


	22. He Found Out

Finally! Life has been hectic right now, to say the least. I finally got an idea for how to write this chapter but I had no time to write it. That's why it took me, like, two months or however long it's been. To tell you the truth, updating might get pretty scattered now. I mean, I have four AP courses, a job, and lots of extracurriculars, not to mention college apps...but I will try my hardest. Truth is, I'm really trying to wrap this up so I can focus on my better fanfictions I've recently started. One fanfiction I posted on Mediaminer - it's complete and everything. You can check it out if you'd like. It's titled: The Love Between Brother and Sister and it is a HieiYukina incest fic with sexual content, so don't read it if you're too young or don't like, or, at the very least, don't complain about it or get caught or anything. So, enough advertising...on to the story!

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****Chapter 21: He Found Out**

Sakura watched in the full length mirror as she gently pulled the sleeve down on her left arm.

The mark no longer glowed, but it did send out a pulsating throb that sent an impulse of pain traveling down her arm every couple minutes. It was tender as well, and the rough fabric of her uniform did nothing to increase her comfort with the situation.

With her mark as hidden as it could be with her summer uniform on, she left her room in a mood as unpleasant as the tremor of pain that had just raced down her arm.

Her fingers twitched.

----

"Sakura, I thought I heard you scream last night, are you alright?" Shiori asked from the breakfast table as she saw her daughter walk down the stairs.

"Fine," the girl grumbled wearily as she joined her mother and half-brother at the breakfast table.

Shiori looked at the girl concernedly and reached out to touch her arm to get her attention.

Instead Sakura flinched and jumped away from her mother's touch.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked once more to make sure, "You don't sound or look too well."

"I'm fine," Sakura replied angrily as she stood up from the table, "Just leave me alone."

"But...breakfast..."

"Not hungry," Sakura muttered darkly as she stalked out the door, grabbing her briefcase on the way out the door as she left for school.

Shuichi almost missed her wince as she quickly moved her suitcase to her right hand.

Her fingers twitched as she used her foot to shut the front door behind her.

----

Halfway between the house and the school, a large oak tree stood in the middle of an open lot.

Sakura stopped there often because its height – reaching over two stories – brought her a small amount of comfort. It was the oldest tree in the area and while it was still centuries younger than most trees near her home, it was as close as she would get to home for quite a while.

She would take all the comfort she could get.

She leaned her back up against the trunk and slid down the rough bark with a loud sigh.

That dream, that memory, it was still too fresh a wound to relive.

"Father…why?"

Not even the wind would answer.

"I wondered what you found so comforting about this tree, but now I guess I know," a dark voice resonated from above.

Sakura looked up soon enough to see a dark blur land in front of her.

"Does it remind you of home?"

"Oh, it's you," Sakura flatly replied as she recognized Hiei.

She stood up, using her right arm to grab a hold of a chunk of bark to pull herself up.

On her left hand, her fingers twitched.

Hiei used the opportunity to his advantage.

"What's wrong? Does your arm hurt?"

Sakura clearly heard the teasing behind his words – they were not from worry or care, they were from malice, and she had to wonder where this was going.

Hiei smirked when the girl refused to respond.

He whipped out his hand and grabbed onto her elbow, "Then why don't I have a look; just to check."

His tone of voice, the way he looked at her, smirked at her…he knew. Sakura realized then that he knew and he was going to expose her.

Her face went white and her eyes opened wide. She began twisting her arm, doing her best to ignore the white hot pain shooting up and down the limb.

"It's fine, really," she grunted as she tugged her arm.

"No, I insist," Hiei argued malevolently as he gripped her arm more tightly, causing Sakura to gasp in pain, "We can't have you walking around injured."

He used his other hand to scrunch the sleeve of Sakura's uniform up to her shoulder and smirked in triumph as her seal came into view.

"Thought as much."

Sakura finally wrenched her arm free and glared at Hiei in pure hatred.

"There, you know. You know my secret. What are you going to do with it? Tell the pathetic Koenma?"

"I just might," Hiei replied, "And your brother."

"I have no brother, just a stranger I share a mother with. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to school."

She shoved her way past him and flinched when Hiei purposely hit her left arm.

She whipped her head around and glared at him but he only smirked and disappeared.

----

"Hiei! Hiei!"

"What is it detective?" Hiei asked as he jumped out of a tree.

"Koenma called us," Yusuke informed, "He said it's important."

"What, does he need his diaper changed?"

Yusuke laughed and then looked at Hiei in amazement.

"Hiei, was that just…a joke?"

Hiei just smirked, leaving the question unanswered.

Yusuke chuckled and walked off towards the rest of the gang, Hiei following him soon after.


	23. Mother and Daughter

Well, the end is drawing near. You'll notice that I am beginning to tie up any loose ends starting this chapter, so beware: emotional rollercoster ahead. This ride contains quick stops and sudden drops; if you are pregnant, have heart problems, or back aches please do not ride. -

* * *

**Chapter 22: Mother and Daughter**

Sakura walked through the front door at precisely four o'clock and immediately knew something was different. Kurama was always working on homework in the kitchen at this time, finishing it up so as to free up his nights – Sakura always used homework as an excuse to never have a free night – but this time her half-brother was nowhere to be seen.

Sakura shrugged; it gave her a break from acting.

"Sakura? Sakura-dear, is that you?"

The girl groaned. No Kurama meant no one to keep Shiori occupied.

"Sakura?"

"I'm here," she muttered, just loud enough so that her mother could hear

Shiori walked into the entryway with a large smile on her face, "Your brother is out of town. I was hoping we might be able to talk."

"He is not my brother; we can do nothing of the sort; and, out of curiosity, where is he?"

"His school sent him and a couple other students, the top from each grade, to a decathlon in Kyoto. He said he would try to check in on my husband and his son Shuichi while he is there."

"Really? Because I go to Meiou as well, but I was not informed of any such trip," Sakura replied with a smirk.

"They might have announced it one of the days you skipped. You don't show the same respect and thirst for education as Shuichi," Shiori stated softly. It was a statement, not an attack.

"You know that's a lie."

"I know no such thing."

"He's off in Makai, and you know it. You just refuse to believe it," Sakura snarled.

"I have kept him hidden from his past-"

"Do you really think a kitsune as smart as Youko Kurama has not found a way to break through his human façade? Please!" Sakura bit.

"I'd like to believe it," Shiori replied as a misty sheen began to cover her eyes, "It's so dangerous for a human, even with a youkai's soul, or youkai blood-"

"That why you left your hanyou daughter and her father? To protect your son?"

"Sakura, I-"

"No! I'm sick of your lies! Just give it up!"

"Sakura!"

The girl stopped in shock. Not once had she heard Shiori raise her voice before.

"Sakura, there were many reasons I left. Yes, protecting Shuichi was one of them, but-"

"And, what, I was the other?" Sakura asked, her face turned down to the side. Shiori just noticed a tear slip down her daughter's cheek, barely catching the light of the sun through the open window, "You couldn't stand the fact that I was half demon, only half human?"

"Of course not," Shiori whispered brokenly, "I left to protect you, to protect your father. You yourself told me humans are not welcomed in Makai; I left to stop the threats…the threats on my life, my son's life, your life, your father's life…all the threats…And, your father asked me to go. He wanted me to be as safe as I wanted him and you to be. I would have taken you with me, Sakura! I would have, but I could not leave your father alone. He loved you so much…"

"No, you abandoned us," Sakura argued shakily, her resolve wavering, "You didn't love us or care about us."

"Sakura…" Shiori reached a gentle hand out to her daughter.

"No! I tire of this!" the girl cried out as she slapped the offered hand away and ran past Shiori towards the stairs.

"You can only run so far before you can't run anymore!" Shiori called after the girl, "Sometimes the best thing to do is face what has happened and ask for help."

"I don't need help," Sakura answered angrily from halfway up the staircase, "I am strong. I can do anything on my own."

"No one is that strong," Shiori rebutted, "You called out for him last night in your dream. I heard you. It's okay to hurt, Sakura, it's okay to cry. I cried. I still cry. You can cry too. Let out the pain and the anger, it will feel so much better."

Sakura stared at the stair in front of her, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her jaw clenching and unclenching as she resisted the urge to give into her mother's please. She glared in anger at her feet and coldly replied, "Shows what you know."


	24. First Mystery Solved

Ha! How awesome! Two updates within a week...heck, it's a miracle they're even in a month. You can just all thank sudden bursts of creativity and not getting my English homework done on this!

* * *

**Chapter 23: First Mystery Solved**

"Why do you suddenly have to find the murderer of a demon lord?" Yusuke asked, "You never cared about that kinda stuff before."

Koenma smiled nervously at the four boys in front of him. He couldn't believe he had called them in, but Botan had been right when she had said how much luck favored them.

"This demon lord happened to be a close ally with my father and me-"

"You don't have ties with Makai, Koenma – you've said that many times before."

"Yusuke, please, allow me to finish," Koenma cried in exasperation, "And, although it is none of your business, the politics between the three worlds are much more convoluted than you would believe. Reikai has ties with both Makai and Ningenkai – ties with beings in power in their worlds."

"So you want us to find out who did it? Don't you usually have spies do that kinda stuff? I mean, I know we're detectives and all but we usually just fight, don't we?" Yusuke asked curiously.

The other three agreed.

"Heh, well, I tried sending spies, but… they did not get too far in the investigation," Koenma replied and his face went a sickly pale green for a moment.

Hiei smirked, "They weren't very good spies then. Did they have no stealth?"

Kuwabara blanched when understanding of what Koenma meant hit him; Yusuke looked shocked and Kurama merely shook his head as he commented to his friend, "Pretty blunt of you, Hiei, don't you think?"

"It's their fault they died," Hiei shrugged.

Koenma huffed in annoyance and the team turned back to him.

"So, what's the other reason you need to solve this case for?" Kurama asked with a smirk.

"What?"

"Koenma, there's obviously another reason for finding the murderer. While you wouldn't just ignore the case if it was only a murder, you wouldn't put so much effort into it either."

Koenma sighed, "The daughter is missing."

"Huh?"

"The demon lord had a daughter who is now missing. We think the assassin might have either kidnapped or killed her as well. We must find her, she is the heir."

"Why would you care if she took control of the territory or not? Kurama questioned.

"We are more likely to be able to form an alliance with her compared to any other youkai."

"Why?" Yusuke asked.

"Because she is hanyou and still subject to spirit world laws through her human blood."

"So you want a puppet? Someone to manipulate?"

"Koenma's silence served as his answer; an answer in the affirmative.

"What is the name? Of the lord and of the child."

Everyone turned to Hiei to see him pensive.

"Tell me, Koenma – I think I might have a lead."

Hiei turned to look at Kurama and smirked.

"Damien. Damien and Sakura were their names," Koenma replied.

Kurama turned to Hiei, eyes wide, and gaped at the smirking demon before turning to Koenma.

"Can it be?" he questioned himself.

"I would suggest allowing Kurama momentary leave, he must retrieve his sister, after all," Hiei stated.

A light bulb went on in Kuwabara's mind and he jumped, "Hey, isn't her name Sakura, too?"

"What?" Koenma asked in shock as he looked to Kurama, "You mean the sister you've been trying to look up?"

"Yes, and this whole thing would have been solved much sooner if you would have just let me see those files," Kurama replied aggravatedly.

"Those files are restricted! Not even I can see them!" Koenma cried in anguish.

"Then what's the point in having them?"

Koenma looked over to Yusuke with a deadpan expression and replied, "How the heck should I know?"

"Are we going to finish this or what? Your pointless blabbering annoys me almost as much as the oaf, toddler," Hiei cut in with a hostile glare from where he stood in the corner.

"Right, right," Koenma replied, not even noticing the insult as he began to dig around his desk for something.

"Where is it, where is it?"

"Where's what, Koenma-sir?" Botan asked cheerily as she bounced into the room.

"Oh, Botan, good, now I don't have to find it!" Koenma cried in relief.

"Eh?"

"Send Kurama home."

Botan became more confused, "Eh?"

"He's going to get his sister."

"Eh?!"

Koenma sighed and placed his face in his hands, "Just do it Botan. And keep the portal open until he gets back."

Botan frowned but did as she was asked, keeping the portal open after the ancient kitsune walked through.

----

Kurama stepped through the portal and straight into his room. Checking the hallway quickly for any signs of his mother, he sighed in relief as he heard her starting dinner in the kitchen. He slowly sneaked to Sakura's room and tapped softly on the door twice before slowly twisting the doorknob and opening the door just enough to slip through and then quietly shut it behind him.

The scene he walked in on was, to say the least, unexpected.

"Sakura?"

The girl whipped her head toward the door with eyes wide in surprise and swollen from holding in her tears.

She growled, "What are you doing here?"

"I know who you really are," Kurama replied, his eyes narrowing almost as dangerously as his sisters', "and so does Koenma."

Sakura growled again as she turned her gaze to the wall in front of her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Interesting," Kurama began ponderously, "Demons are usually very territorial and very vindictive. Don't you want the land that is rightfully yours? Don't you want revenge on the man who killed your father? Then again, maybe simple hanyous are too human-like."

"Say that again, I dare you," Sakura glowered as she held one of her sais menacingly at the red-head's neck.

Kurama remained silent, although a smirk quickly found its way to his face.

Sakura released a strangled scream in frustration. It was all a ploy to get her to admit to her heritage.

"Come on, at the very least you get to go home," Kurama offered with a soft smile.

Sakura considered the statement for a couple months before declining it, "I am useless now. My youki has been sealed."

"You did well in your fight with Hiei."

"You know as well as I do that he was holding back because he thought I was a mere human. In Makai, my opponents will not be so nice."

"Well, maybe we can get the seal removed. You never know."

Sakura looked into Kurama's eyes, a bit of hope barely showing through hers.

"I promise you can kill the person who killed your father if we find him."

Sakura smirked, "I would like that. Very much."


	25. Breaking the Seal

Woot woot, I'm happy! I've now updated three chapters this month. It seems I've finally found my muse hiding under my bed between my government book and an old...smelly...sock...ewww! Well, we'll see how far this continues, but I'm hoping I can finish this story soon - maybe even by chapter 30, but that's not for sure yet.

**

* * *

****Chapter 24: Breaking the Seal**

Everyone looked up when Kurama stepped back through the portal, a small and dark girl following close behind.

Botan sighed happily and closed the portal, taking deep breaths once the drain on her reiki no longer existed.

"Kurama! She's no demon! She has no youki whatsoever!" Koenma cried in dismay and anger as he looked at the girl in front of him.

"Ever heard of a youki seal, baka?" Hiei asked and disappeared for a mere half a second before reappearing in the same spot he had been in.

"Baka hiyoukai!" Sakura shouted, "I liked this shirt, too!"

Everyone turned to look at the girl to see one of her sleeves had been cut showing the kanji symbol for 'youkai' on her bicep.

"Oh…" Koenma mouthed, "Well, this can get interesting…"

"What do you mean by that?" Yusuke asked as he looked at the seal on Sakura's arm, "By the way, cool tat!"

"I'd much rather have my powers than this 'tat' you speak of," Sakura replied in disdain.

"Well, at least her attitude is explained now," Kuwabara grumbled.

"Shut up you imbecile! Or do I have to shut you up – again?"

Kuwabara gulped and Hiei smirked.

"And you," Sakura turned on Koenma, "You get this seal off me and let me kill the man who killed my father then leave me alone. I will have no other need for you or any of your lap dogs after this."

Hiei's smirk turned into a deadly frown.

"Yes, that includes you Forbidden Child," Sakura added, "You're a traitor to your own kind, working for Reikai, as are you Kurama. I will not join your ranks once I have avenged my father."

"We wouldn't want you to," Yusuke sneered.

"Are you going to get this thing off me or what?" Sakura questioned the toddler who in turn glared at her before sighing.

"We're going to have to."

----

"So, how do we do this?" Sakura questioned from the white room she now stood in.

Koenma and the others watched from a window up high. The toddler pressed a blue button and an intercom crackled in the white room, "We have to overload your ki by placing your body under stressful conditions. It will be painful, but it will override the mark."

"Whatever it takes," Sakura replied with conviction.

Koenma pushed the red button.

Bolts of energy flew around the room, bouncing off the white walls and into Sakura but the girl did not flinch, all except for her left hand, which, a few minutes into the procedure twitched once.

"Is that all you got?!" she shouted up to the window.

Her reply was an influx of energy as Koenma doubled the output of the machine by pushing the lever from C to B.

"Much better, I can feel it now," Sakura laughed as her left hand convulsed, "But I highly doubt you'll be getting very far at this level."

Koenma frowned as his hand went to the lever once more.

"Koenma-sir, she's not that strong," Botan warned, "She's only a B+ youkai. To raise it any higher could cause devastating consequences."

"We'll have to risk it," Koenma replied as he pushed the lever to A, "Plus, her level might have changed since it was last measured."

Five seconds later Sakura screamed as she collapsed onto her knees, her left hand clenched into a tight fist and her right hand holding tightly onto her left arm. The seal glowed a brilliant blue.

Sakura screamed again, her eyes closed tight at the agony of her own youki trying to break free of the restraints Ryu had placed on it.

"Oh no, oh no," Botan muttered, "This isn't good, this isn't safe."

"She's fine, onna," Hiei replied in annoyance.

Botan turned to glare at the short fire demon and stick out her tongue at him when the girl collapsed onto the floor.

"Turn it off!" she then cried in panic, realizing the danger of the situation, "We don't want to cause irreversible damage!"

Koenma hesitated, his hand hovering right above the red button but he pulled it back when the seal started to glow even brighter, "No, it's working."

Suddenly the girl began to shudder and the audience could hear her sobbing gibberish.

"It's a rare Makai dialect," Kurama informed them, "One spoken by mixed youkai – animal youkai with elemental powers."

"She is shadow neko," Koenma replied, "A strong one at that, especially for her age and heritage."

"What's she saying?" Yusuke asked curiously.

Kurama listened for a moment before he began translating: "'Father. Don't go. Don't leave. I need you Father. Don't die.' I'm sorry, I'm not too familiar with this dialect and I don't understand the rest."

Then a bright blue, the same blue her youki seal was glowing, filled the room and blinded the spectators momentarily as a shrill, heart-breaking scream echoed through the halls.

"NO!!"

The light dissipated and everyone looked down into the room and saw smoke wafting off of her bare arm.

"It worked," Koenma applauded himself and jumped down from the stool he had been standing on as he walked toward the door, "I'm so glad it worked."

"You mean you didn't even know whether it was going to work or not?" Yusuke asked incredulously, "She could've died for all you knew!"

"Well, we had to test it out on somebody," Koenma answered blandly, "So are we going to go get her or what?"

* * *

**NOTE:**

I'm going to explain the part about her calling out to her father a bit more because it's difficult to understand. The stress Koenma put on her to release her youki brought up memories of her father's death. If you remember, when Sakura dreamt of her father's death her youki tried to resurface causing the pain from her mark as it worked to keept her latent powers repressed. Just as her memory awoke her powers, her powers awoke her memory and the mental anguish that came with it is what eventually overrode the mark.


	26. Going Home

Well, there you go, another chapter on time! Just don't expect one this next weekend because I won't even be home for two minutes...busy schedule, very busy schedule. So, anyway, enjoy!**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Going Home**

Sakura groaned as she regained consciousness.

Her head felt light and her limbs felt heavy. She didn't feel the cot beneath her and the noises in the room were all muffled.

She panicked and jumped up, gulping in air and swinging her arms around. She was sure she was underwater. They were trying to drown her! She should have known not to trust the Reikai.

Two strong hands gripped onto her wrists and held her flailing arms still.

She swung her head out and smashed the person in the nose, but the hands still held her still.

"Baka neko!" Hiei hissed as blood dripped from his nose, "Open your eyes!"

Sakura obliged and slowly peeked one eye open to view her surroundings. Both eyes jumped wide when she saw how close Hiei was to her before they narrowed substantially and she hissed.

"See, Urameshi, I told you! Just like a kitty!" an annoying voice sounded from the corner.

"That's one kitty you don't want to pet," Yusuke replied.

Sakura turned to where the noise had come from and sneered at the two boys who stared at her in shock.

"Look at her eyes," Yusuke murmured.

"They're weird," Kuwabara added.

Sakura blinked; then she blinked again before turning back to the fire demon that was, quite literally, sitting on her lap.

"You can get off now, you know," she growled as she met Hiei's glare head on.

Kurama walked in the door and flinched at the tension between the two. When he shut the door Hiei looked up at him then back at the girl.

"Hn," he grunted before he stepped off the cot and walked over to a nearby window.

The moment there was a good distance of three yards between the two, Sakura's glare left his back and curious eyes drifted to her hands. She smiled slightly when she saw the sharp claws, black as night. She cracked her knuckles twice then reached up to feel two neko ears and she swung her tail around in front of her.

"So I'm back then?" she murmured to herself as a smirk grew on her face. She looked at Kurama, "Remember, I kill the bastard that did it."

----

"You really have no information whatsoever?" Kurama asked Koenma in shock, "Even after all the spies you sent out?"

"They were killed before they could ever report back to me and any evidence they might have gotten was taken before their bodies were returned," Koenma replied, "So, yes, I really don't have any information, leads, evidence. I have nothing. You guys will pretty much be going into this blind."

"Not exactly," Sakura cut in, "I'll help you guys this time and this time only, but that's only because your presence might prove useful later."

"Good to know you trust us enough to help you," Kurama smiled.

"Whoever said anything about trust?"

Kuwabara and Yusuke sweat dropped.

_Just like Hiei…_

"Well, now that that's settled," Koenma said as he waved his arm. A portal appeared.

The group just stood there for a moment.

"Well! Are you going to go now or what?" he added in annoyance a couple seconds later.

Everyone jumped in surprise and, one by one, disappeared through the swirling mass of colors and into the Makai.

Just before Sakura stepped through she smiled a fleeting smile – Hiei, the only member of the team left in Koenma's office barely noticed it – and whispered, "I'm coming home, Ryu."


	27. The Study

See? I told you I'd update the next weekend. I wrote this whole chapter for you guys despite the fact that all of my teachers have decided to give us five hours of homework a night until break starts. So appreciate it! Now, if you'll excuse me I must go work on actual writing for my english class - which is much less entertaining than this.

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**Chapter 26: The Study**

"This place gives me the creeps," Kuwabara shivered as he suspiciously eyed the dead, misty forest.

"It was not always this way."

Everyone turned at the sound of Sakura's pain tinged voice.

"It was only after father died that everything else followed. Everyone left, the land perished."

"The Earth lost its keepers," Kurama replied as he reached his hand out to a wilting rosebush. The plant seemed to reach back and the moment the redhead pushed some of his youki into the bush it shivered and seemed to shake itself from its near-dead state as the brown rose petals regained their crimson color and a living green diffused through all the leaves. He turned a soft smile on his sister only to be brushed off with a quick glare before she continued the steady pace the group had been walking at.

Kurama sighed and Yusuke came up and threw his arm around his teammate's drooped shoulders.

"Ah, don't worry about her," he said, "She's been through a lot lately." He smiled widely then, "Plus, I thought it was a cool trick anyway."

Kurama smiled weakly while he slowly shook his head, "I just don't get it. What did any of us do to make her hate us so deeply?"

"Don't kid yourself, Kurama," Yusuke replied seriously as he jammed his hands in to his pants pockets, "You and I both know hanyou are neither liked nor accepted. If you compare them, Hiei and Sakura are a lot alike; in attitude and probably in history."

Kurama's smile transformed into a wry smirk, "Yes, I guess I know, although I'd rather not believe it. Just don't let Hiei hear you compare him to my sister, he did not take it well when I did so."

"Pay attention and maybe you'll realize that you are the only ones still walking."

Kurama and Yusuke halted and turned to where Hiei had spoken from to see that they had indeed passed the rest of the group which was now paused at the foot of the stairs that led to the medieval Japanese style building.

"Be nice, Hiei," Sakura sneered as she began to walk up the steps, "I mean, it's not like you can expect much from a human and a fox who denies his own heritage. Plus, idiots cannot help but advertise their own stupidity."

Hiei's displeasure at being patronized shown brightly as he growled at the small girl halfway up the steps, his hand clenching the hilt of his katana. He should have killed her when he had the chance.

Yusuke began to protest loudly while Kuwabara rolled around on the ground in hysterics.

Sakura paused and looked down on the carrot top, "I don't know what you're laughing about; you're worse than they are."

Silence reigned as all four boys walked up the flight of stairs to the front entrance, inaudibly grumbling about the girl's sharp tongue the entire time.

It was her heated glare that finally shut them up and it was not until she was pleased with their complete silence that she turned back around and slid the door open, the bamboo runners groaning due to lack of use.

True silence was the only way to explain it, a sense of being muffled by blankets, the heaviness of it all descending upon them in pure morbidity. There was no noise at all, not even the creaking of a board; but the dead silence matched the surrounding area's aura well and the boys could not seem to find the will to break the tragic spell.

At the end of the hallway Sakura paused, carefully collecting herself and preparing her mind for whatever may be left from that horrid night. She had not been in her father's study since she held his dead body in her arms so she was unsure as to what extent the room had been cleaned. Finally she released a shaky breath and slid the door open.

----

The blood no longer dripped from the walls, although Sakura half expected it to: walking into the room had been like walking back in time to the very night. The bodies were gone – burnt as quickly as possible to avoid the smell of rotting, fetid flesh – and the blood was dry – a dark brown stain of drips and rivulets perpetually frozen in time as they raced to the floor below and the puddles that the servants had tried to clean but finally given up on, leaving light rust-colored smudges throughout the floor. But one area remained untouched and Sakura walked over to the now dusty mess in the center of the room. She knelt on one knee and stared at her father's dried blood as the boys stared in awe and shock and a bit of disgust at the scene provided for them.

Hiei studied the patterns of blood, his eyes narrowing dangerously in concentration as he deciphered mortal attacks and continued patterns in strategies. "Inu youkai," he realized and he filed his finding away for later use.

Kurama watched silently as a range of emotions flashed through his sister's monochromatic eyes, her face never loosing its blank expression. She blinked twice to hold back the tears he smelt coming before she shook herself out of her moment of remembrance and self-pity. She bowed her head and offered a prayer for her father's soul to the gods, her hand pressed against her forehead, before touching the powdery, rust-colored substance with two fingers then bringing them to her lips as her final goodbye.

"I doubt there is food here, the place seems abandoned, but we can and should get some rest," Sakura finally broke the reverent silence, "I know you humans are probably not used to such strenuous activities and there could be a fight tomorrow. Even if there is not, there will be a bit of spy-work we will have to do. There are plenty of sleeping quarters for all of you. Follow me."

Yusuke and Kuwabara remained silent, still in shock over the violent scene they had been so intrusively introduced to, and followed their host, not once making a comment in reply to her dig on their humanity.

Kurama studied the hushed group carefully and hoped sleep would visit them quickly. Even his sister, who knew what to expect, looked worn out. They could all use some shut-eye before they truly began their mission the next day.


	28. Things That Go Bump In The Night

A little late for a weekend update, but I figured I should give all my faithful readers a Christmas present. It's not much, I know, but I'm slowly getting to the good part. You're gonna like it, I swear; the resolution ties everything up in a nice little bow.

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**Chapter 27: Things That Go Bump In The Night**

She sunk into the soft couch with a sigh, the room finally in order. Shiori had been cleaning for the larger part of the day and had thrown herself into the job even more after her argument with her daughter.

She had pushed herself too far, she knew that much now. Her head pounded and she felt liable to faint at any moment. If Shuichi had been home he would have stopped her hours ago – the moment he was home from school – and finished the chores for her, but her own stubbornness had forced her to push herself beyond her strength and she now felt sick.

A deep breath gave her the extra strength needed to push herself back to her feet and, although slightly wobbly, standing. Her son would send her to bed if he were home and she agreed with the sentence to bed rest for at least an hour – dinner was already finished and just needed to be reheated. Plus, it was a toss up as to whether Sakura would even eat.

Her small, unsteady steps had taken her up the stairs to the master bathroom and she quickly opened the mirror door of the medicine cabinet, preferring not to linger on the haggard woman in the reflection, and grabbed the Tylenol bottle. She deftly opened the childproof cap and shook two of the small round tablets into her hand before replacing the lid and putting the bottle back in its proper place behind the mirror. She swallowed both pills at the same time, foregoing water for saving time and walked into her room to take a much needed rest.

----

It was exactly one hour later when Shiori walked up to her daughter's door and knocked softly, hoping that her daughter would have calmed down enough from their argument to persuade her into eating dinner. But when no reply was issued from within Shiori sighed and quietly twisted the door knob.

"Sakura?" she questioned, "Sakura, would you like some dinner? I made your favorite: unadon (rice bowl with eel) with some ichigo daifuku ("strawberry cake" kind of) for dessert." Yes, it was bribery; but if that was what it took to get her daughter to eat, then Shiori would make this meal every night.

She finally opened the door and walked in when her daughter still refused to answer and looked around in confusion at the empty room. She stepped back out and shut the door wondering if the girl might have gotten dinner on her own and walked down the stairs to check every room only to find the entire house empty.

Shiori stood in the living room, her hand clutching her chest as she tried to calm her panicked breath. Where could her daughter be? She had left the house before without telling her but her son was usually there to pass on the little tidbit of information. Could that have been it? Did Sakura leave the house for some time and just forget to tell her? Shuichi was out of town so there would be no one to see if it was the truth or not. Her breathing calmed as rationale replaced panic. Of course Sakura would not say anything if she were to just leave for a while; she never told Shiori anything.

"Two hours," Shiori finally decided as she collapsed onto the couch, exhaustion settling back in as the fear-induced adrenaline wore off, "She should be back in two hours. If not, I will worry then."

------------------------------------------------------------Makai--------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a thump that woke her, startling her from her solid rest. She jumped to a sitting position and looked to the shoji partitioning her room from the hallway. She had known she would have to remain alert – too many people had been murdered in this house for its own good. Even without counting the possibility of vengeful spirits there were still the murderers of Koenma's top spies.

Two red eyes glowed in the darkness and the girl tensed, prepared for an attack should it come.

"What? Scared of things that go bump in the night?" a baritone voice asked sarcastically; she could hear the smirk he wore.

"Just wondering if I killed you now, would anyone know it was me," Sakura replied poisonously.

A chuckle.

"You kill me?" Hiei asked dangerously, "If I recall correctly I won our last little battle."

"My youki was suppressed!"

"I did not tap into mine," Hiei responded, "We were on a level playing field, so do not try to make it seem biased."

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked in annoyance, effectively changing the subject before she lost the argument.

"I felt like it."

"You have major boundary issues," Sakura replied grumpily, "First you sit on my lap then you sneak into my room when I'm sleeping; what are you, a pervert?"

Hiei growled, "You sleep too heavy. Someone could easily sneak in and slit your throat and you would never know."

"Of course I wouldn't know," Sakura replied, "I'd be dead. And I woke up when you came in-"

"The main difference being that I was not trying to be quiet," Hiei cut in, "I didn't care if you woke up or not."

"Yeah, well, thanks so much for the wake-up call, now I'll probably be up all-"

"Quiet!" Hiei ordered and Sakura immediately ceased talking. They sat in silence for almost a minute before beginning to relax, keeping their ears open for any sounds out of the ordinary.

"Look, I'm fine," Sakura whispered angrily, "I'll probably be up the rest of the night anyway thanks to you. I don't need a protector anyway – I'm strong enough to face any youkai on my own."

"When the time comes, we'll see," Hiei replied quietly as he turned around and began to exit the room but a bump caused them both to freeze in place.

"Are the others awake?"

"I can hear the baka and the detective snoring and the fox is not that clumsy," Hiei answered.

Sakura swung the covers off and stepped off of the futon and onto the floor, "Then I believe we should go meet our visitors."

Hiei smirked as the small girl walked by. He liked the way she thought.


	29. Seeing with a New Light

Isn't this great? I'm FINALLY updating! My days at work have dropped in half (literally) so I only work three days a week now and I got ahead in homework and I forced myself to sit down and write this chapter. I should be able to start writing this story again soon now that I have got the ball rolling. Don't expect too much from me next week though. I have rehearsals all week for a performance that weekend then I fly out of state to visit a college and possibly get a full-ride. YAY!!!! But after that, I should be good. I was mainly having difficulty getting this part written (I already have the rest of the story planned out in my head) so it just comes to actually putting it down on paper.

Anyway, I'm sure you just want me to shut up now, so I will. Enjoy the chapter!

One last note: PLEASE REVIEW!!! I live off of your comments, I want to know what you think! I know my writing was complete crap when I started writing this story, but how's the plot? character development? has my style improved? what about my writing skills in general? Please, please, please let me know what you think - good or bad.

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**Chapter 28: Seeing with a New Light**

Sakura and Hiei exchanged a glance as they stood over the two sleeping members of their team. That glance alone seemed to allow a plan to pass between the two and they both reached down and placed a hand over the mouth of their nearest teammate.

Sakura smirked evilly as she carefully ran a fingernail along Kuwabara's throat. She would not harm the human, only scare him to his wit's end; after all, he might prove of some use in the coming battle although Sakura highly doubted it.

She could tell the moment he awoke because every muscle in his body suddenly tensed and his eyes were clenched shut as if hoping and praying that this was a nightmare and he was not about to be killed.

"Open your eyes, baka, nap time's over," she ordered as she pushed herself into a standing position. She smiled sadistically as the oaf sat straight up, eyes wide in terror. She even thought she saw a tear or two run down his hideous face.

"We have company," she told the now completely awake group and Yusuke broke out into a grin as he began to crack his knuckles; he was ready for anything.

----

Shiori sat on the couch, watching the minute hand reach and pass the twelve on the wall clock in the living room. Sakura had not returned. She panicked now, unsure of where her daughter could be or how she could contact her.

"Where are you, Sakura?"

The girl did not know the city that well, despite having lived in it for seven months. She had no interest in the "trivial human pursuits of adolescents" as Sakura had so kindly worded the sentence herself, so two hours would be more than enough time for Sakura to return home.

Sighing once, Shiori stood up and walked up to her room, pulling down a box that said 'PICTURES' in big, black sharpie. At the bottom of the box, beneath boxes and albums of her life with her son, Shiori pulled out one picture from another time, one picture from another place. Her son was in this picture as well, a mere infant nearing two years of age. In the picture, Shiori held her newborn daughter, two small cat ears barely beginning to unfold from against the hanyou's scalp.

"Where are you?" Shiori asked again as she softly caressed the half-kitten shown.

Several moments of stillness and silence passed before the picture began to glow, growing exceedingly warm to the touch. The image faded out and another took its place.

Shiori dropped the picture to the ground in shock.

"No," she whispered, "How?"

She ran out of her room, not even staying to watch the image of Damien's estate in the Makai fade to black as the family photo once again took its proper place.

----

The hall was eerily dark and quiet. The detectives and their honorary member snuck stealthily around each corner until they stopped in front of a familiar door. The study was occupied, a light glow from lit candles seeping through the rice paper and around the cracks in the bamboo runners. Hushed whispers greeted the quintet as Sakura motioned to the others to halt.

"I thought I told you to get rid of the mutt, too!" a woman growled angrily, "But, much to my surprise the cat's brat is in the house this very moment! With the spirit detective and his team."

"I-"

"Don't even try to speak! I do not want to hear anything from you but the news that all five of them have been killed," the woman ordered, "So leave!"

Soft footsteps sounded in the room followed by the sliding opening and closing of the shoji that led to the outside porch.

"Myushi-sama," a timid voice rang out.

"What is it?" the woman's harsh voice replied and Sakura flinched.

"Are you sure we can trust him?"

"Oh, we can trust him, don't worry," the woman replied cryptically, "He has proven himself before and he will prove himself again."

Suddenly Kuwabara fell to the ground, having accidentally leaned over too far to listen to the conversation.

Silence reigned from within the room and Sakura and the tantei froze, hoping they would go unnoticed. They did not need to be found out just yet.

"I smell a kitty," the woman's voice called from beyond the door, "And I know it is definitely not mine; especially with that awful human stench."

Footsteps grew louder as the woman stepped toward the eavesdroppers.

"Let's see what's behind door number one."

----

Shiori ran as fast and hard as she possibly could. Her son would lecture her on keeping herself well-rested to keep herself healthy if he saw her straining herself like this but what else could she do?

Ryu had told her everything, about the attacks and about how devastated Sakura had become after her father's death. He had also told her to keep a close eye on the girl because no one could tell whether she was a target.

She was supposed to keep her from the Makai. She was supposed to keep her safe, but now the girl had run off and, from all appearances, had broken the seal on her youki.

So Shiori ran with all of her dwindling might to the one place she knew to go.

----

Sakura held her breath as her hands dropped to the sais at her waist.

"Back up," she whispered to the group and they listened, knowing it would be best to not be found in such a tight clump.

The door opened quickly and Sakura immediately swung out, the sai in her right hand hitting the skull of the person who opened the door.

"How did I know?" the woman's voice teased and Sakura walked through the door, stepping over the corpse of the inu youkai in front of her, to come face to face with the being who ordered her father's death.

The four detectives slipped quietly in behind Sakura, securing the room for the time being, killing any other dog-eared miscreants that got in their way.

Silence reigned as Myushi and Sakura measured each other up, sending hostile glares in between calculating glances.

"What a puny pest," Myushi finally sneered, "Why the man could not just get rid of you when I first told him to is beyond me – would have saved me the time of having to do it myself. Luckily it should not take too long."

Sakura glared, her grip on her weapons tightening ever so slightly, "You highly underestimate me. That has always been my opponents' problem. You will soon see that a filthy hanyou can easily surpass such a cultured and well-bred demon as yourself."

Myushi sneered and the teasing, snotty tone in her voice dropped to a low and heated one, "You will regret your insolence, wench!"

The leader of the clan of inu youkai suddenly reached out to backhand the girl, but before Sakura could respond, Hiei stood in front of her, holding the woman's arm still, growling threateningly.

He threw her arm to the side, "I tell you now: she can defeat you, and even if by some fluke, you survive, your victory will not last long." The fire apparition's blade glinted in the candle light and Myushi backed off, snarling like an irate, cornered dog.

Two beats later, however, the woman smirked, "You should have fallen to your fate earlier, girl. Now, however, you will meet the man who truly killed your father."

The detectives and Sakura followed the woman's gaze to the shoji leading to the porch and paid close attention as soft footsteps halted on the other side of the rice paper.

"I could not find them," a very familiar masculine voice called out as the screen slid open, "They were not anywhere on the-" the man stalled as he noticed who was in the room, "-grounds?"

Sakura gaped, an immeasurable pain surfacing in her eyes. "No," she whispered to herself, "No, it can't…Ryu?"


	30. The Beginning of the End

I know, I know, I said I would start posting soon, but I fell really behind in school work and college stuff. Be happy I'm posting now! APs start Monday for me and I SHOULD be studying, but I decided to finish this chapter and post it for everyone (it has been long enough, hasn't it?). Anyway, as you can probably guess, this story will soon be coming to a close; only a couple more chapters left. I'll finish it before I go off to college at the end of summer, I promise (and I will actually keep this one)! So, enjoy this chapter, be shocked by what you learn, and review - even if it's just to bug me for answers by at least one question I am sure you guys will have.

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**Chapter 29: The Beginning of the End**

The blue-haired neko stood still one step into the room, unable to respond to the girl's soft pleas.

"Ryu? Onegai, tell me she's lying…"

"I warned you, brat, but you just didn't listen," Myushi teased as she walked around Hiei and toward the shaking hanyou, "How does it feel? To know he betrayed you, tricked you, lied to you."

"Ryu-" the girl cut off as tears began to fall down her cheeks one by one, "No."

Yusuke and Kuwabara watched in open confusion, Hiei and Kurama with calculating stares.

"Did you really think a hanyou could be cared for? Loved? Your mother left you, your father – well, we know how weak he was – and Ryu here? He's been working with me since the very beginning; haven't you my dear kitty-cat?" Myushi questioned as she continued past her prey and toward the blue-haired neko.

Sakura's eyes dulled and the tears stopped flowing as she silently watched Myushi caress his cheek. Ryu's jaw clenched momentarily, but he did nothing to stop the woman's advances.

"Why don't you tell them, Ryu-chan? Tell them how I own you; how this had been in the plans for such a very long time."

Ryu refused to speak as he watched Sakura with the most remorseful eyes any of the four boys had ever seen. Sakura glared at him and his gaze fell to the floor at his side.

"You won't tell?" Myushi asked, "Fine then. I guess I get to have all the fun."

She turned to the group that had slowly circled Sakura to protect her from any attacks that might come.

"A long time ago, there was a little kitty whose village was mysteriously destroyed," Myushi began as if telling a fairy tale to a group of pre-school toddlers, "Being such a young kitten, the poor boy did not know what to do and wandered around until he stumbled upon a group of inu youkai. The poor kitten was afraid, for he remembered the stories his parents had told him about these demons. The child's fears were rightly placed, for almost immediately the dogs began to chase him around and beat him, but before they could finish the job the leader of the gang came out to see what the commotion was so late at night. She took pity on the poor creature she found shivering on the ground and ordered the others to stop. She took care of him, then, and raised him within her pack. She was named Myushi; he was named Ryu."

Myushi paused in her story as she took in her surroundings and smiled at all the chaos she was causing; she could feel the confused emotions rolling off of each of the other six beings in the room.

"I fail to see what this has to do with our current situation," Hiei muttered as he glared at the woman, "so unless you plan to continue, I say we do what we came here to do."

"Oh, there's more," Myushi replied, "much more. You see, this group of inu youkai had been pushed out of their lands by a neko tribe and sorely wanted their land back. The only problem was that one neko had set up a hierarchy and joined with the three kings of the Makai, with himself as a lesser lord, and it would be difficult to overthrow the government or even attack the lord from the outside. One day, a brilliant idea came to the leader of the inu tribe as she watched Ryu, the poor orphaned cat, train-"

"You sent him in undercover, to get close enough to kill Damien," Kurama stated coldly, "Am I right?"

"What a smart little kitsune!" Myushi squealed sarcastically, "He pledged his allegiance to me in a blood oath ceremony and came to Damien's stoop the next day, the only survivor of his village which had been wiped out by an unknown enemy. Of course, it was not until later that he learned that it was my tribe that had destroyed his village when he was younger and by then it was just too late to do anything about it. You youkai would know how strong a blood oath runs."

The dog smiled sadistically as she finished her tale. She could sense the anger, the hate, the betrayal, the pain. She loved every moment of it.

"What's a blood oath?" Kuwabara whispered to Kurama, "Why's it so special?"

"A blood oath," Kurama replied to the ignorant teen, "is an oath of loyalty that goes as deep as the soul. Blood is used to seal the oath and breaking it means death to the body. The soul, however, remains a servant to the master."

"Oh," Kuwabara and Yusuke replied stupidly.

Suddenly, Sakura pushed herself out of the circle the boys had created and stood in front of Myushi and Ryu with a righteous anger burning in her eyes. Tears sneaked through every once in a while to tumble down her already damp cheeks and spill onto the floor, but she held most of the pain within herself.

Everyone looked on with curiosity, including Myushi who had thought her story would destroy the poor love-struck girl.

"I swore vengeance on the person that killed my father," Sakura stated hollowly, "That vow will not change simple because I once thought I knew the person who did it."

Ryu flinched in mental anguish at the girl's statement.

Sakura dropped her hands down to her sais.

----

Shiori ran up to the door and bent over, her hands on her knees, gasping for breath for several minutes. After regaining a steady heart rate and breathing pattern, as well as some strength, the frantic woman stood tall as she knocked on the heavy door.

It took several moments before the door slowly swung inwards and a small girl with aqua hair came into view, "May I help you?"

Shiori nodded, not completely willing to trust her voice. "Genkai," she managed to gasp, "I need to see Genkai."

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Hopefully I'll update soon, although APs will consume every moment of my life for the next two weeks...so hopefully in three weeks. Later!

Rockrchik


	31. Total Eclipse of the Heart

I told you it would be about three weeks, didn't I? I even managed to get a little ahead of myself, so I can probably post, at least the next two chapters, on schedule (which is to say, one chapter per weekend)Anyway, like always, enjoy the chapter, however torturous the ending may be, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I truly do live off of your comments (who cares about that whole food-stuff...lol). And, I promise, the next chapter will be out next week.

BTW: Total Eclipse of the Heart is a name of a song, I don't own it, I just thought it worked pretty well for the title for this chapter.

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**Chapter 30: Total Eclipse of the Heart**

Shiori sat as calmly as she could as the small aqua-haired girl poured her and the aging master a cup of tea before excusing herself with a polite bow and closing the door behind her.

"What has brought you here, Shiori?" the pink-haired fighter asked curiously, "It's been near fifteen years since I saw you last."

"Genkai, when you helped me settle back down in the Ningenkai, you said you would help me if I ever needed it," Shiori began haltingly.

The old woman nodded assent.

"Genkai, I need your help," Shiori continued, "I need your help, my daughter needs your help, my son needs your help!"

Genkai waited a few moments after Shiori had quieted before responding, "First of all, you must calm down; you won't accomplish anything the way you are now. Second, you have yet to explain how I fit into the whole picture. If it's that important, then time must be of the essence, so I suggest you start explaining now."

Shiori nodded, took a few deep breaths, and asked for the biggest favor she would ever ask for, "I need to get back to the Makai."

----

"Sakura-chan, I can't fight you," Ryu argued with wide, frightened eyes.

"Call me that again, traitor," the small neko growled, "I dare you."

"Sakura-ch…Sakura, please-" Ryu pleaded and the four boys suddenly grew very confused.

"No! You can't do this to me anymore!" Sakura yelled commandingly, "I don't have to listen to you anymore! I don't love you anymore!"

Silence reigned as three tears slipped down the torn girl's face before she settled back into her stone-faced façade. She continued her rant in a softer tone of pained revelation, "No more pleading. No more asking nicely. I realize now that it was all a lie. You didn't care about me, did you? I was just a pawn, wasn't I? That's why you wouldn't claim me, you didn't care."

Hiei and Kurama immediately turned hard gazes onto the blue-haired cat Sakura was addressing. Would the man sink so low as to play with the girl's emotions? Both gained a sudden, strong distaste in their mouth and growled venomously at the man before turning unnoticed, worried glances at the girl.

"I never lied," Ryu replied, "Not once, not about that! Never about that, Sakura." He took one step closer, then two, before stopping, "Never about that."

Yusuke and Kuwabara were still confused as to what was going on between the two; Hiei and Kurama were waiting for the sign to tear the man's head off. Although he had just learned of her existence, the need to protect his family burned strong within Kurama's gut and this man, this traitor, was treading a very thin line. Hiei knew the sick feeling of betrayal, the pain of abandonment, the tortured feeling of being used, and for someone else – this girl – to have to feel it, was not right.

Myushi watched the growing pain and hatred and anger with a smirk before taking several steps back toward the nearest door. She would not be found anywhere near here during the fight that was sure to ensue. She knew well enough that no one would survive against the Reikai Tantei tonight, not even she. She was gone within seconds.

----

"This is a big request," Genkai stated after she had taken a sip of tea, "Damien told me to watch over you."

"Please," Shiori interrupted, swallowing the lump in her throat at her former lover's name, "Everything has gone wrong since his-"

"Death?" Genkai continued bluntly, "Yes, I know all about it. And about Sakura staying with you, as well. Ryu told me."

"Then you must know I was supposed to keep her safe," Shiori argued, "And I can't do that when she's in another world, her powers unleashed, and without anyone to control her! I know my son and his friends are with her, but…Sakura…she…"

"She needs extra protection," Genkai smiled softly, "Her position is a delicate one, but what can you do in the first place? You have no training, not enough to fight, anyway."

"It's not that I am worried about," Shiori whispered, "She's not ready to face it all. She can't handle it, the memories, the emotions, the mental anguish. My daughter is strong physically, but, mentally, she's as open as a newborn and I do not trust her to make the right decision if it should come to decisions of the heart."

"Emotions, when finally let loose, can be a dangerous thing," Genkai agreed, "But I cannot let you go alone."

"Thank you, Genkai, so much!" Shiori responded as a couple tears of joy and gratitude escaped and ran down her face.

"Hurry," Genkai said, "If things are as dangerous as you make them out to be, we better leave now and get there as soon as possible."

----

Moments of silence elapsed as Sakura stared blankly at the ground, trying to decide whether this man before her spoke the truth or not, but no matter how hard she tried to decipher her own emotions, she kept drawing up a blank. Was she willing to trust this man once more? She knew the answer should be 'no;' he had betrayed her in the worst way possible, but she had difficulty settling on that decision.

_It has to be!_ she finally gave in, _It's the only logical answer, why should I trust him once more? Why should I give him another chance to hurt me?_

"No!" she finally replied, "No more. I don't believe you. I won't listen to you anymore; no matter what you say."

The blue-haired neko was shocked and hurt.

Sakura withdrew her two sais from her belt, "Now draw your weapon or die a coward's death!"

"I refuse to fight you, Sakura," the man replied, "I refuse to harm you in any way. Don't you see? This works for us. Your father would never have allowed us to mate and now we can be together."

"Shut-up!" Sakura shouted as she swung out with one of her heavy weapons.

Ryu quickly threw up a shield of his youki to block the attack until the small girl backed off.

"Come out of that blue bubble and face your fate, traitor!" Sakura growled.

"I can't fight you!" the man shouted with emotion permeating through his voice.

"Then you die tonight, you sick bastard. Not only did you kill my father, but to suggest that it would help us – help me – is just despicable! Now, draw your weapon!" Sakura shouted in utmost rage.

Flames of her youki leaped around her, her eyes blazed with murderous intent, "Do it!"

The man sighed once and reached into the sleeves of his kimono to pull out two wakizashi, "I refuse to harm you, Sakura. I draw these only to defend myself from your attacks."

Sakura did not respond, she had warned this man enough times as it was.

Ryu bowed to the girl, showing his respect toward her and her abilities and initiating the start of the fight.

Sakura spat at her feet, "You don't deserve my respect."

The blue-haired man eyed his old charge sadly before dropping into a purely defensive stance.

Sakura threw the first attack.


	32. Revenge

So, like I said, I'm updating a week later! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get this up at first, because I have a really busy weekend, but I did my best and voila! success! ANYWAY, I'm super-psyched, because I was asked by someone if they could publish a story of mine in a magazine...wow! I never expected that! Also, I'm going to study in Japan for two weeks over the summer and it's getting closer and closer to departure-day and I'm getting soooo excited! Anyway, as always, read and enjoy (and REVIEW!!!).

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**Chapter 31: Revenge**

The four spirit detectives watched carefully as Sakura jumped back from another blocked attack at the blue-haired cat demon.

She screamed in frustration as she dug even deeper into her reserves to boost her already powerful attacks, "I will defeat you!"

The pure emotion, the raw anger sent chills down their spine.

She jumped at the man again, her weapons glowing an eerie black. Once again, the attack failed and she staggered a big as she regained her balance.

Yusuke and Kuwabara took a step forward and Kurama tensed, but Hiei stuck his arm out, holding the three back from taking the small hanyou's place in the battle.

"Hiei, what are you doing?!" Yusuke cried, "She's gonna collapse, we have to help her!"

"I have to agree with Yusuke, Hiei, she's already barely able to hold herself up," Kurama added in a very worried tone.

"It's her battle," Hiei replied simply, emotionlessly; he kept his gaze on the huffing girl as she glared at her old lover, "Let her fight it."

----

"Genkai, please, I must rest for a moment," Shiori gasped as she sat down on a large root sticking out of the ground, "I'm not as strong as I once was."

The small master nodded and stopped walking, carefully listening and looking for any signs of danger before nodding her consent, "Fine, we will rest for a few minutes; I know your illness has left you weaker than before."

"Thank you," Shiori smiled, "Just a few minutes, though – I have a feeling that Sakura's in trouble. I need to be with her as soon as possible or else something bad will happen – I just know it."

"Then don't speak and catch your breath," Genkai ordered, "We will continue in five minutes; Damien's place is not too far from here and we should be there in ten more minutes of traveling at the rate we're going."

----

Sakura stood, regaining her breath and gathering what energy she could for her last attack, but it was taking longer than her previous breaks. She was tiring out and everyone knew it.

Ryu slowly dropped his blades down to his side and stood straight, watching Sakura worriedly as she tried her best to catch her breath.

"Sakura," he whispered, "Please, Sakura, listen to me now."

The girl could do nothing but glare as her chest heaved from exhaustion and overexertion.

"I know what I did was wrong," he began, "I hated myself for doing it. Your father was a good ally, a good friend! But, I had to. If I hadn't, Myushi would have invoked the blood oath and I would have died. I couldn't bear that thought; the thought of being without you…so I was selfish. I would do anything for you, Sakura; anything to be with you. You want to know why I didn't mark you? Your father confronted me, Sakura – he knew about us. He threatened to kick me out of his household unless I stopped, unless we stopped. That was why I ignored you those couple months, but I realized that I could not leave you, Sakura. I needed you! I still need you!"

Sakura's angered face had melted into one of pure agony as she continued to fight for her breath. Tears leaked from the corners of her shut eyes and she began to hyperventilate. This was all just too much for her!

"Onna!" the voice cut through her thoughts like a knife, "Onna!"

The small neko looked up to Hiei, only to see the man looking at her seriously, no glare, no scowl, just a serious gaze that held her rapt attention.

"He's still under the oath," Hiei told her, "And now he's been told to kill you. If he is as selfish as he admits, do you think he'll spare you at the cost of his own life?"

Sakura blinked as what Hiei said sunk in. She glanced quickly at Ryu, who glared dangerously at the small hiyoukai, before turning her gaze back to Hiei.

"Demon law: Kill others before they kill you," Hiei reminded the hanyou, "And, just so you know, that stain, the one from your father, suggests that he was standing still when he was killed."

Sakura's face turned into one of confusion.

"He was killed from behind."

Two seconds of silence before Sakura clenched her jaw and turned completely back to her opponent with a renewed spark of hatred in her eyes, "You truly are a coward."

The five males in the room watched in awe as Sakura seemed to regain all her strength and her power jumped to that of an A class. Her small but sharp, black claws grew into talons that were near as long as the blade of a throwing knife, and about as sharp too. Her gray pupils and irises shrunk to mere pinpricks and the sclera became a glowing red.

"Amazing," Kurama whispered in awe at his sister's transformation.

"What the heck just happened?" Yusuke asked after he picked his jaw up off the floor.

"I didn't know it was possible, but here I am watching the transformation with my very own eyes," Kurama continued as he let his insatiable curiosity show through.

"But what is it?" Yusuke asked again, this time sounding much like a petulant child begging for attention.

"She's transformed into a full-blooded youkai," Hiei replied for the kitsune, "Her anger overpowered her weaker human side and has taken over. She will rip him to shreds now."

"Or die trying," Kurama continued, "She literally will not stop until she cannot fight anymore, whether it be because her opponent is dead or she is dead, knocked unconscious, or in some other way unable to fight or even struggle."

"Whoa," Yusuke replied as he turned back to Sakura.

Ryu looked on in fear as Sakura advanced on him, swaggering in the knowledge of her victory. He brought his two wakizashi up to block her first attack, but the power behind the blow sent him flying to the floor several yards from where he had originally stood. 

"Can't let your traitorous blood mingle with my father's," Sakura explained as she stepped over the powdered substance she had prayed over earlier that day.

Ryu sat up, but Sakura kicked him back down, leaving him clutching the imprint her sole made on his shirt where she had kicked him in the chest.

He wheezed and his two blades dropped to the floor and Sakura quickly kicked them out of his reach.

She sat on his stomach, straddling him, her knees pinning down both of his arms.

"If you feel as strongly about me as you say you do, then you must have imagined having me on top of you before," Sakura snarled savagely as she pressed the tip of one of her sais into Ryu's chest, "Tell me, is this what you pictured?"

He screamed in pain as the tip slowly pressed through the skin and blood began to trickle out of the wound and soak into his shirt.

"Sais are an unusual weapon," Sakura began as she pushed the weapon deeper into him, "They are not used to cut and slice as swords, knives, shuriken, arrows, or naginata are."

Ryu screamed even louder as Sakura hit his sternum roughly with her weapon. The small neko smirked evilly.

"Nothing like that, no," she continued, "The sai is meant to crush, to break bones."

Sakura smirked as Ryu gasped in pain as the sai slipped off the sternum and sunk into his soft lung. Ryu choked on blood.

"I can't imagine how much this must hurt, Ryu-chan," Sakura teased evilly, "So I will be merciful, even if you don't deserve it."

She swiftly pulled the sai out of the now large hole in Ryu's chest and held it high above her head, the three prongs pointing dangerously down at the dying man's exposed neck.

"It will hurt," she began, "I'm sure of it, although I am not sure as to how much of the pain you will feel. But I highly doubt it is to the extent of what you have made me feel."

Two tears leaked out of her eyes and raced down her cheek and the strong aura of power she had been radiating near disappeared as her claws shrunk back to their normal size and her eyes returned to their normal monochromatic hue.

"I truly loved you," Ryu whispered as she closed her eyes and brought the sai down.

* * *

Ummm...yeah, I'm sane, I promise. I don't know where the torture came from in my mind, but it works...but, still, I'm sane...well, at least I'm sane in the sense that I'm not a psychopath or sociopath. Anyway, see ya next week, okay? 


	33. The Truth Unravels

I know I said I'd start updating more often, but with graduation, I have had absolutely no time. This was my first chance, even though I already had the chapter written. Anyway, I'll try to get another chapter up in the next couple of days because I'm going on a trip next Friday and I'll be gone for two weeks. So, anyway, I won't have the time or the capabilities to update while I'm gone so I'll put one more chapter up before I go and then I'll update when I return. Anyway, enjoy the chappie and don't forget to review, please! Thankies!

* * *

**Chapter 32: The Truth Unravels**

Kuwabara wiped his mouth off as he walked back inside the room. Hopefully he would not get sick at the sight of all the blood again.

Sure he had seen battles before, but none as gory as this – except for Kurama's battle with Karasu, maybe, and even then he was green-faced for quite a while afterward.

Kuwabara joined the rest of the gang and stopped short as his eyes came across Sakura.

She sat on Ryu's blood-covered chest still, her blood-drenched hands gripping tightly onto her sai, which still lay where she thrust it into the dying man's neck. Her whole body was splattered with her victim's blood and she was shaking. Her thick black hair fell around her face, curtaining whatever expression her normally blank or angry face might have held. Despite however cold and hard she may have seemed to the four boys before, she truly could be read like a book and the all understood that this had been her first kill.

Kurama took a wary two steps toward the girl before carefully, slowly, reaching his hand out to barely brush his fingers against her quivering shoulder.

"Sakura? Are you alright?"

The girl tensed, her shaking halted as she became a living statue; but the moment of silent waiting broke as the small neko threw Kurama's gentle hand off her shoulder and shot up to face everyone.

The boys could not help but once again stare in wonder at the girl's appearance.

Blood soaked Sakura's uniform skirt that she had never had the chance to change out of that afternoon, and soaked the hem of her shirt. It ran down her legs in rivulets, racing toward the floor, matching the dull stains on the walls; it dripped off her drenched hands like water.

Her arms were splattered with what once had been her lover's and her eyes – her dull, gray eyes – stood out starkly against her blood-speckled face.

Despite how violent the scene was, even Hiei could not help but gaze in awe at the beauty this vision of silent despair held.

But the moment was broken all too soon.

"Don't touch me," the girl glared before turning around and walking off.

"Oi," Yusuke cried as she opened the shoji door leading to her father's inner office, "Where are you going?"

"There's something I must do," she replied after several long moments of silence, "Leave me be."

Hiei sensed an odd resignation in the girl's voice and shoulders and was about to deny her her request when Kurama jumped in. "Of course," the kitsune answered, "I am sure this night has been a difficult one for you. Do not worry; we will respect your privacy."

Sakura nodded and walked through the frame, sliding the door shut behind her.

"Idiot!" Hiei then turned on Kurama, barely managing to keep his voice at a lower decibel, "Can't you see this jeopardizes her safety?"

"Myushi is gone – as is her gang," Kurama replied, "She is fine."

Hiei glared and growled at the fox's lack of perception. Didn't he realize? It was not the powerless puppies Hiei was worried about. He tossed an almost unnoticed, worried glance at the door Sakura had left through before clenching his jaw and glaring at the door in front of him instead. He disappeared into the dark shadows of the night, deciding to let them deal with the consequences of their own actions – including the annoying kitty.

----

Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara watched silently as Hiei disappeared.

"What's eating his shorts?" Kuwabara could not help but ask.

"Yeah," Yusuke could not help but agree, "He's really protective of her – like with Yukina."

Kurama sighed, "It's Hiei's way of showing he cares – just like when he held us back from jumping into the fight. I think that their hard, yet similar pasts have, in a way, brought them together – created something akin to tolerance and acceptance, if not even friendship."

Yusuke snickered and could not help but add, "Or love?"

Kurama raised an eyebrow then shook his head, "Now that would be a disaster. If you ever went to school, Yusuke, you would learn that in chemistry, you never mix two volatile substances like that."

A lull in conversation overtook the room and the boys turned around when they heard the shoji behind them slam open.

"Mother!" Kurama exclaimed in shock, followed closely by a surprised "Grandma!" from Yusuke.

"Shuichi!" Shiori cried as she ran up to her son and gathered him in her arms, "Shuichi, please tell me where your sister is!"

"Mother, what are you doing here?" Kurama asked, still unable to accept the fact that his naïve, human mother was in the Makai.

"Later, Shuichi, please," Shiori begged, "Right now I need to find your sister."

Kurama shook himself out of his shocked stupor and pointed to the shoji to his left, "She said she had something to do."

"Thank you," Shiori finished and turned to go through the door but stopped as she finally took in the rest of the room and the beheaded man lying between her and her goal.

"Oh! Oh my," she gasped, "Ryu! What happened to him?" She backed away a couple steps to avoid contact with the still growing puddle of blood and in doing so caught sight of the blood-spattered murder weapon her daughter had dropped when she left the room. "Sakura?" Shiori questioned in surprise, "Why would she-?"

Kurama watched his mother closely, expecting her to start screaming every moment over the body, over the weapon, but she remained calm – confused, but accepting.

"He was the one that caused all of this," Kurama explained, "He was the one that killed Damien."

Shiori brought a shaking hand to her mouth, "Oh! My poor Sakura!" She gave the entire room a glance, soaking in the horrific scenes of old and new battles, "My poor Sakura!"

She refused to hold back a moment longer and took off in the direction her daughter had earlier left in, running around the blue-haired man's body and slamming the shoji open before her and shut behind her.

"Umm, Kurama, I think your mom knows about demons," Kuwabara stated and Kurama sighed in exasperation as Yusuke bonked the orange-haired teen on the head.

Yusuke chuckled, "It sounded hollow," but Kurama paid no mind as he worriedly eyed the shoji door both his sister and mother had escaped through.


	34. Maybe Emotions Do Exist

Yeah, I know, I suck. I always promise to post soon, but that promise is rarely followed through with action. I just got really busy the week before my trip then I had no way to get to my stories for the two weeks I was gone. I seriously just got back over the weekend...I haven't even fully unpacked yet! Anyway, I just wanted to post this because I am so close to finishing this story and I really just want to get it done and over with. I can only really see it having two more chapters max, although it will most likely just be one...Anywho, enjoy! And, please, REVIEW!!!

BTW: This chapter holds some stuff in it that I do not agree with. Life is a precious gift and should not be tossed aside. But it does add to the story and it's an interesting part of Japanese history and culture, which I always try to slip into my stories.

* * *

**Chapter 33: Maybe Emotions Do Exist**

It did not take long to find the items she had been searching for. While they were held under lock and key, that had not been what she had been worried about.

She delicately lifted the sheathed tantō from its place on the rack. She momentarily fingered the kaiken, knowing this blade was the most common for the occasion, but she could not use the same weapon as a weak, untrained woman.

These ceremonial swords had been in her family for generations – since before the three worlds had split. They were of human-make and Sakura had not been sure how well the steel would have held up. But as she unsheathed the blade, it sung to her and she smiled sadly as the candlelight glinted off the well cared for blade. She should have realized; of course the blades would be in pristine condition – her father had probably cleaned and sharpened them daily. A look of fond remembrance fell across her eyes as she remembered how deeply her father had loved his blades.

She shook the memories off. Now was not the time! Who knew how long the boys would give her before they came looking. While her brother had seemed willing to give her all the time necessary – even if he was just doing this to try to win her over, Sakura still appreciated it – his partner, Hiei, had not seemed so kind.

So long as they gave her the time she needed to finish this, she did not care when they came for her.

She quickly sheathed the tantō and placed it on the floor as she began to look around the room for any rope or string or ribbon.

Without any luck in finding some rope, Sakura finally gave up and took the bow off her uniform top. She knelt down on the ribbon and wrapped it around her ankles and thighs, tying it tightly in a knot so her legs would not thrash.

The knife in front of her seemed to call to her. She had dishonored herself and her family in so many ways and, while the practice had fallen out of style even in the Makai, it was the only way Sakura could find to bring the honor back.

"Father," she said as she picked up the blade and unsheathed it, "I am so sorry."

She brought the blade up to her neck, but froze before she could cut her jugular.

She was scared! Sakura could not understand why it happened now, but she was scared. Her hand faltered and she began to bring the blade away from her lap when she heard the shoji door in front of her slide open.

----

Shiori stood in front of the shoji that she knew led to Ryu's personal office. While the study was open to all members of the house, Ryu kept all personal records and dealings confined to the room before her.

As to why her daughter had come to this room, Shiori had no idea; but she knew the girl was in here by the soft glow from the candles that illuminated the rice paper door.

But she was wasting time questioning when she could be with her daughter – an emotionally unstable daughter, she was sure. She reached out to the shoji door and slid it open, only to gasp at the sight beyond the door.

Her daughter was set to commit jigai!

---

Sakura's eyes widened in shock before narrowing into a harsh glare. What was she doing here? Why was – dare she say the word? – her mother here? Her resolve strengthened and she brought the blade back to her neck, closing her eyes in the process. Now that she had an audience, she had to follow through.

But as she moved to deliver the fatal cut, she felt a force fighting against it. She was shocked when she opened her eyes, to see her mother holding onto the blade, blood starting to drip from her fingers and palms.

She tugged on the hilt, but her mother's clasp on the blade only grew tighter as the first drops of blood from her hands fell to the floor.

The frustrated teen looked up to her mother's face to see fear, anxiety, and pain. Tears of emotional pain and worry fell down her cheeks. The woman winced as the blade dug deeper into her hands, but she refused to release her grip; she refused to let her daughter kill herself.

"Sakura," she pleaded softly, "Please, let it go."

The teen's face only settled into a firm stubbornness as she tugged once more on the blade.

"Please, Sakura," the woman begged, "There are better ways to deal with your pain. Your father died, Ryu died. I know it hurts. But you can't do this. You're my daughter, I love you; I cannot let you do this to yourself." Her grip tightened on the blade and she began to tug on it, pulling it away from its position so dangerously close to her daughter's neck. The drops of blood turned into rivulets and streams and Sakura could not help but watch the red liquid stain her clothes and the floor.

"Sakura, please let go," Shiori cried, "Please! I can't lose you!"

The teen's eyes widened as she continued to watch the blood flow from her mother's hands and her grip loosened on the weapon's hilt. Shiori pulled the instrument of death from her daughter's grip and threw it across the room with a triumphant, but choked, laugh. Sakura continued to stare at the woman's hands. She could smell the blood pouring from the wounds and laying in puddles on the floor. The scent was so heavy in the room.

She blinked her eyes rapidly as a pressure began to build in them. Her vision went blurry and her breathing began to pick up pace. Why had she done that? Why did that stupid woman hurt herself like that? She most definitely was not worth the woman's effort.

Shiori watched the inner battle her daughter was waging with herself, wishing she could do anything to help as the first tear fell down her daughter's pale, blood-spattered cheek.

She could not contain it anymore. The pressure in her eyes and in her chest was too overwhelming and she allowed herself to give into the emotions overtaking her system right now. Her sobs wracked her body and her tears tumbled rapidly down her face, leaving clean streaks in their path. "M-mother," she finally managed to gasp as she fell forward into the woman's waiting embrace.

The older woman pulled her daughter tightly against her, her hands grasping onto the girl's ruined school uniform, causing even more blood to stain the fabric. But that did not matter, the pain she was and would be experiencing for a while meant nothing because her daughter was in her arms. Her daughter was safe. And in that moment, Shiori joined her daughter as sobs of relief and her own repressed emotional pain worked their way up her throat.

----

Outside the office, Kurama leaned against the wall, his head in his hands. How could he have been so stupid as to let his sister walk off alone? And then to turn around and do the same thing with his mother! His hands dropped uselessly to his side as a picture of the scars on his mother's wrists flashed before his eyes. How useless he felt at the moment!

There was a soft flutter and Kurama turned to face his long time friend, "You knew her plans, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," the demon responded, "Only an idiot would not."

Kurama laughed humorlessly once as his head dropped back down, "That sounds about right."

Hiei harrumphed, "You were blinded by your own care. That does not make you an idiot; it only gives you idiotic tendencies."

Kurama turned a curious eye and raised eyebrow to his short friend, "Hiei?"

The koorime turned his gaze to the side, "Perhaps this human emotion crap you and the idiots have been spewing at me is not all wrong." He turned to gaze at the softly glowing shoji that hid the two crying women before turning back to the dark nature he had been watching from.

Kurama gasped, almost silently, and turned to Hiei completely, startled in every sense of the word.

"Our mission is done here," Hiei then stated, "I am leaving. You can tell that annoying brat whatever happened. I don't feel like listening to anymore annoying voices tonight."

Kurama chuckled and shook his head. Of course his friend would not dwell on the breakthrough that had just occurred. He turned to reply but the spot next to him was now empty.

"See you around, Hiei," he murmured to the trees.

* * *

Note: Jigai is the female version of sepuku (what foreigners call hara-kiri). Wives of samurai, or any woman living in a village under siege, would commit this act so they would not be captured/raped/killed by the enemy. Sometimes a woman would commit jigai when her husband committed sepuku. 


	35. Epilogue

So, I finally get it up. I really was hoping to get it up by the end of August, but that was completely impossible. Still, it's good to know I'm finally finished with it. Whether you will like the ending or not, I'm not too sure, but it's done. So, for those of you who have stayed with me this whole time, thank you, and please enjoy this final chapter of Revealing Secrets.

* * *

**Chapter 34: Epilogue**

"Sakura! Sakura!"

The black haired teen turned her head from the tree she had been staring at and toward the annoying voices calling out her name.

"What do you want?" she asked as Yusuke and Kuwabara came to a sudden stop in front of her, chests heaving from how fast they had run to make it on time.

"We just-" Yusuke began, but had to stop mid-sentence to gasp for air, "We just heard."

Sakura looked at the two boys blankly before glancing once more at the tree.

"Who told you?" she asked flatly as she threw her gaze to the clouds gathering to the east.

"I did," Kurama replied as he walked up behind Kuwabara and Yusuke, "I told you two we still had plenty of time."

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, "Well isn't this turning into quite the party? Ne, Hiei?"

"Huh?" Yusuke and Kuwabara voiced as they stood up to look around for the temperamental fire demon. Kurama faced the tree Sakura had earlier been looking at and nodded once as the man jumped down from the branch he had been resting on earlier.

Hiei walked up to Sakura, whom he had earlier been conversing with and gave the girl a meaningful look. She smiled in return and nodded her head once in understanding before the man in black disappeared before her very eyes.

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked on in interest, "Hey-hey-hey! What was that?"

"You and shorty aren't…together? Are you?" the two could not help but ask.

Sakura blinked once at their naïve curiosity before sneering, "What would lead you two to that?"

"But-"

"I told you two to drop it," Kurama cut off their reply, "Those two are too much alike to become anything other than friends – allies would be more like what they would call each other."

"Seems like you're not the complete idiot I thought," Sakura said as she looked into the park, "But you're still forgetting one thing."

"I'm sorry?" Kurama asked in confusion.

"I couldn't mate with him anyway. I will have to mate with a neko if I want to retake control of my father's lands, because the land originally belonged to the neko tribes. They have probably been working on reestablishing their claims on the land and my best chances of getting the land back lay in my ability to negotiate with them."

Yusuke and Kuwabara sat down and stared up expectantly at the two siblings, hoping for an explanation soon.

Kurama sighed, "Will you seriously mate with someone to gain power? I do not think I can approve of it."

"Your approval does not matter," Sakura said, "At this point it may be the only way to give my father's territory back. There's no way it remained untouched for a year."

Kurama sighed in frustration, but he understood the girl's reasoning, "Just try to avoid that for now. You are still young."

"I will try diplomacy the human way first, I finally understand why my father put so much stock in it; but if things do not work out, I am not afraid to turn to old-fashioned demonic bargaining."

Kurama nodded once, "I guess I can accept that. Have you said your goodbyes to mother?"

Sakura blanched once before nodding, "Yes, she did not take it well, but she knew it was coming. This is something I have to do."

"I can understand that," Yusuke cut in, finally understanding the conversation, "If I were in your position, I would want to go back, too."

"Hm," Sakura agreed, "I kept my promise and stayed here for a year, but I am not staying here any longer. My home is Makai, and no matter how hard I tried to assimilate, I could never truly live and do well here. I was raised as a demon, so I plan to live as one."

"Well said," came a higher pitched voice from behind the gathering group.

"Koenma! Don't do that!!!" Yusuke shouted as he jumped into the air in shock.

"My father and I agree with your reasoning and your goal, if you will come with me, I will open a portal back to your father's territory," the young prince continued, "But we should do this as quickly as possible."

"Of course," Sakura bowed, "I appreciate your willingness to help."

"As long as you keep your end of the deal, we have no problem keeping ours."

"I will continue my father's policy of tolerance toward the human race, Koenma, you have nothing to worry about," Sakura replied with finality as she began to follow the toddler deeper into the park.

Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara followed closely behind, preparing to say their goodbyes before the girl that had grown so close to them within her past year her left.

"This is as good a place as any," Koenma said as he began to open a portal, "This will only last five minutes, so please be quick with your goodbyes." With that said, the Spirit World prince popped out of sight.

When the prince had left, Sakura first turned to the two dimwits of the group, "You aren't the brightest humans out there, but at least you're not completely stupid. You understand some things."

"I don't know how to take that," Yusuke muttered as Kuwabara cried out "Thanks!"

Sakura smirked before finishing what she had to say, "I don't ever plan on coming back, and I won't contact you either – not until my job is done anyway. Not until the land my father built, created, is back in my hands. So don't even try."

Yusuke and Kuwabara nodded.

"Same goes for you, brother," Sakura continued as she turned to the redheaded fox, "I do not want to see you until I've completed my job. My life is in my hands and no one else's, so don't meddle."

Kurama smiled softly before nodding his consent, "I'll trust you will not try anything stupid again like the last time you wanted to be left alone. I better hear from you quickly, so do your best."

Sakura bit her cheek in thoughtfulness as she nodded her consent, "Within the year, I should contact you. If not, then know I am no longer alive."

"I'll be counting the days," Kurama finished as he shook hands with his younger sister. The two might never be doting siblings to each other, but a grudging respect had developed throughout their time spent together.

"Tell mother I said goodbye," she then told her brother, "And that I finally understand my father. And that I owe her, as well. She might not accept it, but I am indebted to that woman." The scars that now adorned the aging woman's palms flashed before Sakura's eyes before she blinked the image away, "So tell her I will be back to repay her."

Kurama smiled in understanding. His sister might never say thank you or I'm sorry out right, but it was hidden in her words, if you looked hard enough.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Let's go," Kurama said to the two other boys as he turned away.

"Alright," the two grudgingly replied as the turned to leave, "Bye Sakura."

"Goodbye," she replied.

She stood alone for several moments, watching where the three boys she had actually accepted as a constant in her lie this past year left. The wind picked up and blew her hair around her, covering the soft smile she dare let slip.

"I guess even the hanyou raised as a demon cannot help but betray her blood."

"I thought you weren't coming back, Hiei," Sakura replied softly as she turned to face the red-eyed apparition behind her.

"Hn, someone has to make sure no one other than you goes through this portal."

The neko smiled jocularly at the man, "No need to hide it, you came back to say goodbye. If you'll miss me so much it pains you to even admit it-"

"Baka neko, why would I miss such a brat?" Hiei cut in with a smirk.

"Although you still remain a pain in my side, Hiei, I have to admit that I will miss your company – it's the only decent one I managed to find here."

The smirk faltered momentarily before disappearing altogether. "Hn," he replied poutingly, "You had to turn things serious."

"Just this once," she replied softly as her gaze turned back to the sky, "It's probably the last time we will meet."

Hiei glared at the girl fiercely.

"I have no qualms or misunderstandings about the most likely outcome of my goal. My father fought hard with many standing beside him for what he wanted. I am weaker, younger, and alone. That plot is still being fought over by surrounding territories, I am sure. I doubt I will live if I must stand against all."

"Onna," Hiei sternly cut in. The small neko turned to his commanding voice.

He reached over and kissed her forehead, bestowing a strong sign of acceptance and affection, "We will meet again."

Sakura smiled sadly, hiding it and her blurring vision beneath her bangs. "Goodbye, Hiei. Take care of yourself. And my brother."

She jumped through the portal right before it closed as Hiei remained, all alone, seething at the girl's response.

"Hiei!"

The short demon looked up curiously to see the kitsune standing before him.

"Did you plan to take on such a paternal role?" he asked with his usual smile, a glint appearing in his eyes.

"You yourself have said we are too similar, fox," Hiei replied, "What do you think? She is an ally, I will wish for her survival."

Kurama's smile fell as he glanced to where the portal was just momentarily standing.

"If anyone can do it, she can. We'll hear from her within the year."

Hiei nodded his head once before quickly disappearing, leaving Kurama alone in the clearing.

He sighed once, looking remorsely to where the portal had been opened before sighing and running a hand through his long, red locks.

"You better come back, Sakura. I'm not afraid to go looking for you."

The wind picked up once more, rustling the leaves in the trees and gently blowing through the kitsune's hair. His heart felt heavy once more.


End file.
